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Wimbledon heralds record purse

Wimbledon will be the richest Grand Slam in history, with both the male and female champion earning ?700,000 (US$1.4 million).

The only Grand Slam tournament on grass will offer ?11,282,710 in all, an increase of 8.7 percent, organizers said on Tuesday.

Wimbledon announced on Feb. 22 that it would pay men and women the same from the opening round to the final for the first time since it began paying players in 1968.

"No tennis tournament has ever offered higher prize money than Wimbledon in 2007," All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said.

Roger Federer earned ?655,000 in winning last year's tournament, while Amelie Mauresmo took home ?625,000.

The weak US dollar has helped Wimbledon become the richest Grand Slam.

Federer and Serena Williams have each earned A$1.28 million (US$1.05 million) for winning this year's Australian Open. The French Open running from May 27-June 10 will give champions 1 million euros (US$1.36 million).

Federer and Maria Sharapova, the US Open champions, won US$1.2 million last year. The US Open plans to announce its prize money in July.

Wimbledon, which runs from June 25 to July 8, also announced it would use instant replay for the first time, subject to final testing next month. The Hawk-Eye technology, used at the US Open for the first time last year and also at this year's Australian Open, will be on Centre Court and court No. 1 only. The French Open will not use instant replays.

Large screens to show the replays will be erected in the two courts.

The exact protocol of Wimbledon's Hawk-Eye system has yet to be established, but unlimited challenges were unlikely. The US and Australian Opens both offer a player two challenges on line calls per set.

"There are slightly different circumstances on a grass surface," Wimbledon chief executive Ian Ritchie said. "So we're looking at a bit of an alternative, maybe a bit of an extension."
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