The Women's Tennis Association has announced that all combined WTA 1000 tournaments will award equal prize money to men's events starting in 2027, marking what the organisation describes as a transformative moment in the sport's pursuit of gender equity. The Italian Open, Canadian Open, and Cincinnati Open—the final three holdouts among the top-tier combined events—will join the rest of the category in offering identical payouts, completing a decades-long campaign for financial parity.
The milestone carries particular symbolic weight given the Italian Open's history. Billie Jean King, who founded the women's professional tennis circuit, earned $600 for winning the 1970 Italian Open title at the Foro Italico while Ilie Nastase received $3,500 for the men's championship that same year. Nearly six decades later, the Rome clay-court tournament will finally equalise its prize purses between the two competitions.
WTA chair Valerie Camillo framed the announcement as evidence of the organisation's leadership within professional sports.
Achieving equal prize money across all combined WTA 1000 tournaments is a major milestone for tennis. It demonstrates the WTA's continued commitment to leading the sports industry in delivering our athletes competitive and financial equality and is a testament to the enduring nature of the founding vision of the WTA.
The Italian Open had previously committed to equal prize money beginning in 2025 but failed to implement the change. In 2026, the men's tournament offered $9.6 million in total prize money while women received $8.3 million. The other combined 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Beijing, along with all four Grand Slams, had already established equal prize money structures. According to reporting on the WTA's structural changes, the four Grand Slams have awarded equal prize money since 2007, establishing a precedent that took two decades to extend across the entire 1000-level category.
How will the changes affect player schedules?
The WTA has restructured its tournament requirements to provide players with greater scheduling flexibility. The number of mandatory WTA 500-level tournaments for players ranked in the top 50 has been reduced from six to four, resulting in a total base playing commitment of 14 WTA tournaments plus the four Grand Slams in 2027. This adjustment aims to give athletes more control over how they build their competitive calendars around personal and professional objectives.
Jessica Pegula, the world's third-ranked player and chair of the WTA's tour architecture council—the working group that developed these changes—emphasised the practical benefits for competitors.
As players, we're on the road most of the year, so having more flexibility in our schedules and commitments makes a real difference. The 2027 changes give us more ability to build our seasons around our own goals – competitively and personally. That's an impactful step forward for players.
According to details of the new ranking system, players will be permitted to replace one eligible WTA 1000 result with a stronger result from a WTA 500 or WTA 250 event when calculating their rankings, further enhancing their ability to optimise their competitive records.
What is the status of these changes?
The WTA's Board of Directors has approved the 2027 modifications, which will operate as a one-year pilot programme. According to the WTA's announcement of its 2027 calendar structure, the organisation will evaluate the impact of these changes across the tour to inform decisions for 2028 and beyond. This measured approach allows the WTA to assess whether the reduced mandatory commitments and ranking flexibility achieve their intended outcomes before making permanent adjustments.
What other tournament changes are planned?
The WTA has also announced an expanded WTA 250-level tournament in Manila, Philippines, capitalising on significant public interest surrounding home player Alex Eala, who is currently ranked 18th. The new Manila event is scheduled for late October or early November 2027, while the Philippines' existing WTA 125 tournament will remain in its traditional January slot, creating two opportunities for Filipino players and fans to engage with elite women's tennis within a single calendar year.
Key Facts
- All combined WTA 1000 events will offer equal prize money beginning in 2027, with the Italian Open, Canadian Open, and Cincinnati Open joining the category for the first time.
- The Italian Open's prize money disparity originated in 1970 when Billie Jean King earned $600 for winning the women's title while the men's champion received $3,500—a gap that will finally close in 2027.
- Players ranked in the top 50 will now be required to compete in four WTA 500-level tournaments annually instead of six, reducing their total mandatory commitment to 14 WTA events plus the four Grand Slams.
- The 2027 changes will operate as a one-year pilot programme, with results informing the WTA's strategic direction for 2028 and beyond.
- A new WTA 250 tournament in Manila will launch in late October or early November 2027, complementing the existing January WTA 125 event in the Philippines.
