by Anton Johan
The organizers of Wimbledon 2010 tennis tournament have announced that
the prize money for men and women champions would rise to £1 million each
this year.
The move has come in a bid to push the prize money to a level that emphasizes
the prestige of this annual tennis event.
"Wimbledon exists in a highly competitive global marketplace and it is the
world's best players who create and drive the interest," said the Chairman of
the All England Club, Tim Phillips.
"It is important that we offer a level of prize money which is both
appropriate to the prestige of the event and which gives the players full and
fair reward."
This year's Wimbledon preparations have been overshadowed by the World Cup
that is due to kick off in South Africa in June.
Wimbledon is set to run from June 21 to July 4, right in the heart of World
Cup action.
However, Philips announced that this year's tournament will be declared a
"World Cup-free zone". He said that football fans would not be allowed to watch
any soccer matches on the screens at the All England Club.
"This is arguably the leading tennis tournament in the world and people come
here to watch tennis," he said. "If people want to watch the World Cup they
should go to South Africa or watch it on the TV."
Sports fans who love tennis and soccer equally should not despair, however.
UK bookie sites are sure to be in on all the action, offering betting markets on
both sports and live streaming of many of the soccer and tennis matches that are
sure to make for an exciting summer sporting season.
