The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has raised the number of women’s tournaments it will conduct during the first quarter of 2023 to 114, with a record $3.3 million on offer for participants as part of its campaign for gender parity.
From January 1 to March 30, there will be 15 more women's events on the programme than in 2022, and a new W40 level of play with $40,000 in prize money will bring the total number of tournaments with more than $15,000 and $25,000 in entrance fees to 150.
The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, which hosts tournaments at the entry-level and mid-level, will offer a record $16.5 million in prize money in 2023, according to the organisation that governs tennis worldwide.
The first quarter's overall prize pool of $3.3 million reflects a 25% increase over the same period in 2022 and a 50% increase over 2019, according to the announcement.
The ITF Board of Directors member and chairwoman of its women's player panel, Mary Pierce, stated that the organisation was devoted to gender equality and inclusion at all levels worldwide. Pierce won the singles Grand Slam event twice.
Pierce said in a statement, “We’ve put a lot of focus on this through our Advantage All commitment designed to develop tennis as an equal opportunities sport."
The development of the W40 category of tournaments, which was announced today, is just one example of how this has influenced a great deal of investment, decisions, and action in the professional game.
“We’ve also worked hard to establish a calendar of possibilities for men and women on the ITF World Tennis Tour that makes playing and travelling easier to arrange and more cost-effective for our professional players, coaches and families.”
The calendar also offers more than 100 events for men at the M15 and M25 categories, with over $2 million prize money on offer for the first time.
