WTA announces equal prize money deal for joint 1,000 tournaments

Female tennis players will receive equal prize money to men at all the combined 1,000 level events next year, the WTA announced on Thursday.

Of the seven joint tournaments at the top tier of the men's ATP and women's WTA, only four paid the women at the same level as the men this season, but, from 2027, Rome, Canada and Cincinnati will match Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing.

Next season's WTA calendar has a new tournament in Manila, capitalizing on the huge popularity of young Filipino star Alexandra Eala, while the tour has reacted to player complaints by reducing the number of mandatory events.

The WTA formed the Architecture Council, a working group chaired by world number three Jessica Pegula, in February to address frustrations with the calendar.

In a one-year pilot, top-50 players will only be required to play four WTA 500 events, down from six.