Wimbledon has arrived, but the mean gender pay gap appears to have widened. With British star Emma Radacanu returning to the green courts despite painful injuries, we wonder whether the gap still stands
Wimbledon 2025 has finally arrived and with the news of star athlete, Emma Raducanu, staying in the competition despite her injuries, we were curious to see whether the gender pay gap for tennis players still stands – and the results are still shocking.
In the competition’s most recent study from 2023, Wimbledon’s gender pay gap report states that only in the Upper Middle Quartile pay band are there more women employed than men, meaning that in the remaining three quarters, women continue to miss out in both opportunity and pay.
The report also states the gender bonus pay gap to have a median of 25 percent, with four percent of women not receiving bonuses compared to their male counterparts.
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With female athletes bringing in new viewership, brand deals and fashion trends that boost the British economy, it’s a surprise that not much has changed since the 2017 gap of 25 percent.
The mean pay gap – which showed the average hourly pay of men to be 10 percent more than for women – has unfortunately widened since 2021. Though still an improvement from the 25 percent “recorded when reporting began in 2017,” both “median and mean gender bonus gaps have narrowed,” reports AELTC.
It is interesting to note that in 2023, even the one percent difference between ‘mid point’ men and women employees and athletes creates a huge difference in pay, especially considering 2025’s overall increase of prize funds being a total of 8.2 percent more than 2024.
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The £300,000 addition to last years £2.7 million, won by singles winners Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova, brings on a new incentive to double-down on better pay for female athletes further down the leader board. Though the prize funds appear to match throughout the competition, we must ask at what percentage does this include female athletes, considering the ratio they are hired at.
The prize fund up for grabs, now standing at a shocking £3 million, follows the 2024 win which saw Barbora Krejcikova rewarded a matching £2.7 million for her singles title – a positive progression from 2022.
In DiversityLink’s article claiming Wimbledon’s initial promised to “end to gender pay gap,” legendary player John McEnroe said: “I think when you’ve got men and women playing at the same tournament, it is ludicrous to have a difference in pay. It would be setting an example to the rest of society in general to have equal prize money. There’s probably no other sport, and very few professions in this world, where a woman can earn as much as a man”.
However, this appears to have come after the 2006 matches won by Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo, the former earning £30,000 more than his female equal. It is clear to see that in 2025, Wimbledon has still a far way to go in improving conditions and pay for its female talent.
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