The Biggest Benefits of Winning Wimbledon
Locker Room
July 2, 2015
It’s one of the world’s most watched sporting events, drawing in 17 million viewers in the UK alone in 2013. It’s got lucrative prize money, incredible prestige and a lot of attention from potential sponsors.
Few events are such as positive development for a tennis player’s career as winning Wimbledon. Add ATP ranking points to the list and walking away victorious is every player’s dream, albeit a reality only for the game’s most talented players.
What are the biggest benefits of winning Wimbledon? Read on to learn what players can expect to gain, from prize money and sponsorship deals to an improved ranking, as a result of winning Wimbledon.
Lucrative contracts from sponsors
As one of the world’s most popular sporting events, Wimbledon attracts a great deal of attention from sponsors. Winning Wimbledon can transform a tennis player into a valuable marketing asset for major brands, winning them lucrative sponsorships.
From Japanese casual clothing brand Uniqlo, which hired Novak Djokovic as a brand ambassador, to seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer’s clothing line with Nike, sports brands often line up to sponsor Wimbledon winners.
Wimbledon sponsorship success isn’t limited to sports apparel. Roger Federer, for example, also has lucrative sponsorship deals with Swiss luxury watchmaker Rolex and champagne house Moët & Chandon.
2013 Wimbledon gentlemen’s singles champion Andy Murray recently signed a £15 million deal with Under Armour. After winning Wimbledon 2014, Petra Kvitová took on sponsorship deals with Ritmo Mundo, Nike and other well-known brands.
The tennis world’s biggest cash prize
Although Wimbledon is better known for its prestige and history than for its prizes, its prize money is the highest of all Grand Slam tournaments. As of 2014, champions an expect to walk away from the tournament with a cash prize of $2.65 million.
It’s not just champions that benefit from Wimbledon’s lucrative prize money. At all stages of the tournament, including the beginning rounds, players that take part in Wimbledon stand to earn more than they would at similar Grand Slam tournaments.
Players that lose their first-round matches will walk away with £29,000, while those that make it further into the tournament can win considerably more. In 1968, men’s singles winners walked away from Wimbledon with just £2,000 in prize money.
Women’s singles champions earned even less, with a paltry £750 in prize money for winning the prestigious event. Since 2007, male and female competitors earn equal amounts for taking part in Wimbledon.
Wimbledon setting prize money as equal between men and women was a fantastic step in the right direction.
— Ireland \ Elizabeth (@ireland) November 14, 2014
Technology and finance blog Business Insider prepared an interesting graph that compares Wimbledon prize money with other prestigious tournaments, including the French, Australian and US Open.
2,000 ATP or WTA ranking points
As one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, success at Wimbledon can earn players a considerable amount of ranking points. Wimbledon champions earn 2,000 ATP or WTA ranking points for winning the men’s or women’s singles tournaments.
Players that make it to the first round of Wimbledon earn 10 points, while players that make it to the second, third and fourth rounds receive 45, 90 and 180 points, respectively.
Reaching the quarter or semi finals earns a player 360 or 720 points, while players that make it to the final walk away with a minimum of 1,200 points, even if they’re not victorious.
Since the ATP men’s rankings and WTA women’s rankings depend on consistent performance across a large number of events, it’s actually possible for a player to lose the Wimbledon final but still retain a higher ranking than their opponent.
The most prestigious title in tennis
Although there are four Grand Slam titles in professional tennis, Wimbledon has a level of prestige that’s widely regarded as the highest. This, plus its popularity, has made winning The Championships a popular goal for many tennis players.
When a player wins at Wimbledon, they win in front of over 17 million viewers and fans around the world. They also win in front of the eyes of many of the world’s top sporting and luxury brands, making them a marketing magnet for sponsorships.
Add in Wimbledon’s incredible history, its unique status as a grass court event and its almost legendary reputation among tennis players and fans alike and you have a tournament that attracts the best from its players in hope of victory.
Roger Federer will return to World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings after winning a record-equalling 7th Wimbledon crown with victory over Murray
— doudyJT #104.6FM (@doudyTATIPANG) July 8, 2012
Worldwide attention and fame
Wimbledon’s massive popularity makes becoming champion a huge event for any athlete’s visibility. With 17 million viewers on the BBC alone and millions more on other networks worldwide, winning Wimbledon is a global sporting event.
In 2013, after Andy Murray won the men’s singles, mentions of his name in news articles and Google searches shot upwards. Petra Kvitová’s breakthroughs in 2011 and 2014 resulted in similar surges of interest in her background as a player.
From online interest to news coverage, winning Wimbledon puts a tennis player in the middle of the news cycle and at the centre of global interest, turning them into a well known and highly marketable star.