In US dollars, Wimbledon prize purse drops

The Championships begin in exactly two months. So it’s now time for the All-England Lawn Tennis Club to announce this year’s prize-money increase.

It’s sort of a funny little competition between the Grand Slams, to see who can offer more money or a bigger increase and claim supremacy.

The total amount of prize money for the tournament in 2017 will be £31.6 million. That’s a 12.5 per cent increase from last year’s £28.1 million. But given the struggles of the hard-luck British pound sterling against many currencies (including the US dollar), that number is deceiving.

Post-Brexit pain

Note that between the two came the Brexit vote in the U.K. The June 23 vote resulted in an immediate tumble in the value of the British pound. In practical terms: the amount of prize money announced April 26 by the All-England club was significantly diminished by the time the players received it.

Here’s a table showing the net relative value of the announced 2017 increase.

Compared to the value of the British pound when the 2016 prize-money haul was announced, the purse in U.S. dollars is actually lower this year. (Exchange rates from XE)

Compared to what the American players actually earned in 2016 post-Brexit, it is an increase. That increase, though, is not to the level of the 12.5 per cent hike (in pounds) announced Wednesday.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive a 10 per cent raise, from £2 million each in 2016 to £2.2 million.

Wimbledon’s claim that it has more than doubled its prize money since 2011 (from £14.6 in 2011 to £31.6m in 2017) isn’t quite true across the board. Converted into US dollars, the increase is just under 70 per cent. It’s still a tidy windfall.

Progress on No. 1 Court

There was plenty of better news from the Championships Wednesday.

The club issued a progress report on the challenging job of retro-fitting the No. 1 Court with a roof.

It’s a three-year program; they’re at the end of year one. It’s scheduled to be done by Wimbledon 2019; given the tournament’s sterling track record, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

This year, No. 1 Court will have the same capacity as it has always has (11,500), with a partial fixed roof. By next year, as lovely Court No. 19 is no more, there will be a two-level public plaza with more concessions and hospitality facilities.

By 2019, the retractable roof will be in place. Another 900 seats will be added in two additional rows; all the seats will be wider and more comfortable. The club said that the new roof will contain “a similar amount of mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment as would be found in a London high-rise building”. It also said the project is akin to “constructing four bridges, and then adding a further 11 bridges on top, which move along their own railway.”

The club put the concertina roof on top of the fabled Centre Court – built in 1922, two years before No. 1 Court – with minimum disruption and no issues to speak of. It seems no job is too ambitious for them.

But progress comes at a price.

Court No. 19, RIP

Court No. 19 was a lovely little court, nestled in a little valley between Court No. 18 and No. 1 Court. It was a great place for fans to stop to watch a little tennis as they made their way up and down St. Mary’s Walk. They could peer right down into the court. And you could usually squeeze your way in to have a look even if it was packed. It had a lot of atmosphere.

prize money — *Court No. 19 was a great court, sacrificed in the name of progress.*

Court 7 at Roland Garros has suffered a similar fate in recent years. All in the name of progress.

Qualies upgrade

Among other improvements announced were upgrades for the qualifying event, which takes place at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton.

Basically, they lay down grass courts on a (more or less) flat field there, put up the nets and windscreens, and have a tournament. The big Wimbledon warmup event for the juniors also is played there.

The atmosphere is actually a quaint throwback, and the small crowds there enjoy themselves even though few are diehard fans. They probably don’t even recognize most of the players.

But more loos would definitely be welcome. And maybe a couple of food options.