The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has elevated the variety of ladies’s tournaments it is going to organise throughout the first quarter of 2023 to 114, with a document $3.3 million on provide for gamers as a part of its push for gender parity.
Women’s occasions on the schedule from Jan. 1 to March 30 are up 15 on 2022, with a brand new W40 degree of competitors price $40,000 in prize cash that will increase tournaments above the $15,000 and $25,000 entry class to 150.
The world governing physique of tennis added that the entire prize cash on the 2023 ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour – which offers entry-level and mid-level tournaments – would additionally enhance by 10% to a document $16.5 million.
The $3.3 million whole prize cash on provide within the first quarter represents a 25% enhance on the identical interval in 2022 and a 50% enhance on 2019, it mentioned.
Two-times singles Grand Slam champion Mary Pierce, who’s on the ITF Board of Directors and chairs its ladies’s participant panel, mentioned that the physique was dedicated to gender equality and inclusion in any respect ranges globally.
“We’ve put a lot of focus on this through our Advantage All commitment designed to develop tennis as an equal opportunities sport,” Pierce mentioned in an announcement.
“That’s been driving a lot of investment, decisions and action in the professional game, including the creation of the W40 category of tournaments announced today.
“We’ve also worked hard to structure a calendar of opportunities for men and women on the ITF World Tennis Tour that makes playing and touring easier to schedule and more cost-effective for our professional players, coaches and families.”
The calendar additionally options greater than 100 occasions for males on the M15 and M25 ranges, with over $2 million prize cash on provide for the primary time