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The issue of equal prize money in tennis has been a big talking point throughout 2023 and the year is coming to an end with big win for those pushing for equality in the women’s game.
Some of the biggest names in women’s tennis have gathered in Seville to take part in a finale to the season that will see one nation crowned as world champions.
Switzerland, as 2022 world champions, and Australia, as 2022 runners-up, qualified automatically and they are joined by Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and USA in the Finals.
Now it has been confirmed that this could be one of the most lucrative weeks of the year for some of the players taking part, as for the second consecutive year, the Billie Jean King Cup Finals will offer record payments to players, equivalent to the levels of prize money awarded at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga later this month.
Thanks to the partnership and support of title sponsor, Gainbridge, the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals will offer an unprecedented prize money of $9.6 million, with this year’s World Champions set to receive a record $2.4 million as part of the ITF’s Advantage All programme to drive value for the women’s game.
This year’s record prize money purse will be broken down as follows:
• The world champions will receive $2,400,000
• The runners-up will receive $1,440,000
• The semi-finalists will receive $960,000
• Group stage teams will receive $480,000
Prize money will be distributed among the five team members in each squad competing in Seville.
That looks certain to mean a huge cash pay-out for the players who lift the trophy, with close to $500,000 on offer for each team member.
The national federation of the team that wins the cup will also collect $650,000, to be reinvested at the grassroots level.
“We are proud to announce this news on the eve of the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals,” ITF president David Haggerty said.
“Achieving gender parity in our sport is a key part of the ITF’s Advantage All programme and I am delighted we have been able to offer equivalent prize money with the Davis Cup Finals again this year.”
The tournament is named after the legendary Billie Jean King, who was a pioneer for equal prize money for women in tennis.
Her success in persuading the US Open to offer equal money to male and female players 50 years ago started a chain of progress that led to all four Grand Slams following suit and now the biggest event in women’s team tennis is on board with the equal pay vision.
“People think there’s money in women now,” King told the USTA in August. “That’s why they’re buying soccer teams. That’s why they’re buying basketball teams.
“That’s why they really are investing now. There’s no question, the values have gone way up. People think it’s a good investment. That never used to happen, at least in women’s sports.
“We’re going to keep pushing (for equality), because you want it for everyone. If they guys were making what we were making, I would’ve been pushing for them. But that’s not the way it is. Sport is a microcosm of society … so we have an amazing opportunity to lead and let people think about things, and maybe they’ll change.
“Sports give women, particularly, a chance to truly define themselves in a big way. With sports as a platform, we can help make the world a better place.”
The Billie Jean King Cup was founded as the Federation Cup in 1963 and is in its 60th year.
Since its 2020 re-brand, the competition has continued to develop as a bold, powerful platform for the growth of women’s tennis across the world.
It was broadcast in an unprecedented 196 territories in 2022, and a record 134 nations entered this year.
READ MORE: Eugenie Bouchard’s revealing comments as she returns to Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals team
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