Wimbledon prize money rises 11.8 percent
Source: Reuters

[April 30, 2019]    By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Wimbledon prize money will total 38 million pounds ($49.4 million) for this year's championships, a rise of 11.8 percent, the All England Club announced on Tuesday.

General view in the grounds of Wimbledon Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Boyers Livepic

The men's and women's singles champions will receive 2.35 million pounds -- 100,000 more than in 2018.

Continuing a theme of recent years, organizers have again significantly raised prize money for early-round losers.

Prize money for qualifying and rounds one to three in the singles will rise by 10 percent with 45,000 pounds now the compensation for a first-round singles exit.

The Championships, which this year will see a roof on Court One, will not employ the 'shot clock' used at this year's Australian Open, although it is likely to be rolled out in 2020, according to club CEO Richard Lewis.

This year's tournament will also see tiebreaks employed at 12-12 in the deciding sets of all matches for the first time.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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