Wimbledon distributed more than £800,000 in prize money after a disastrous opening day for British players at the All England Club, with all 10 who completed their matches losing in the first round. The defeats followed the withdrawal of top British contenders Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper due to injury.
British Players Earn £80,000 Each Despite First-Round Losses
British No. 1 Cameron Norrie fell in a five-set battle against American qualifier Michael Zheng. Mimi Xu and Harriet Dart both pushed their opponents to deciding sets, while Oliver Tarvet claimed a set in his loss to Arthur Rinderknech. Max Basing, Felix Gill, Mika Stojsavljevic, Alicia Dudeney, Hannah Klugman, and Francesca Jones all exited in straight sets. Despite these results, each of the 10 British players pocketed £80,000 in prize money, a 21% increase from last year's first-round sum.
Raducanu and Draper Compensated Despite Not Playing
Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper also received compensation for their presence at SW19. Raducanu, the former US Open champion, and Draper, a former world No. 4, each collected £40,000 without stepping onto the court. According to Grand Slam rules, players who withdraw before their first-round match are entitled to half the first-round prize money if four criteria are met: the withdrawal must occur after midday on the Tuesday before the main draw starts; the player must be declared unfit by the tournament doctor; they must have competed in a tournament within 21 days before the Grand Slam; and they must not have withdrawn on-site from two or more Grand Slams in a calendar year. Raducanu had played in the previous eight Grand Slams, while Draper has struggled with injuries this year, dropping to 131st in the ATP rankings.
Raducanu and Draper Explain Withdrawals
Raducanu withdrew from her match against Antonia Ruzic on Sunday. In a social media post, she wrote: "I can't believe I'm saying this but sadly I've had to withdraw from this year's Wimbledon. I've done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I've been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I've been medically advised to stop pushing through." The following day, Draper pulled out of his match against American star Taylor Fritz. He said: "Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury. There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months but this one is definitely the absolute worst as there is no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon. I will continue to persevere through this."
Wimbledon Prize Money Totals £47.264 Million
Wimbledon is offering a combined £47.264 million in prize money across the men's and women's singles competitions. The £80,000 first-round sum represents a 21% rise on last year's figure, resulting in British players collectively banking £800,000 on Monday alone.
