Wimbledon prize fund for the 2017 tournament set to smash past £2million… thanks to Brexit

THE prize fund for Wimbledon 2017 is set to smash past the £2million barrier… thanks to Brexit.

Last year, the winners of the men’s and women’s titles earned £2m apiece – taken home by Andy Murray and Serena Williams.

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But this year, thanks to the pound’s drastic dip since the Brexit vote of 2016, the prize fund could reach £2.25m.

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The All-England Club is to set to implement the rise in prize money due to the low value of the dollar against the pound.

A spokesperson for Wimbledon said: “The All England Lawn Tennis Club always takes into account the business and economic context of tennis worldwide, including any currency fluctuations, when determining prize money for each year’s championships.”

Reuters

In 2016, the £2m pot equated to $2.92m - at $1.46 per pound.

However, at present the pound has fallen to just £1.30 - meaning £2.25m would need to be the new total to reach the £2.92 fund from 12 months ago.

The exact amount earned by the 2017 tournament's champions will be revealed on Wednesday.

The result of the Brexit vote has already had an effect on Wimbledon, however.

For the 2016 tournament, Williams took home around £300,000 less than she would have done had the vote come after the fortnight.

The tournament boasting the highest prize pot is not Wimbledon however, as the US Open hand out £2.65m for the winners.

Wimbledon 2017 will kick-off on July 3 this year for two weeks, with the men's final on Sunday July 16.