Emma Raducanu Champions Equal Prize Money Revolution by 2029
Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, is at the forefront of a push for equal prize money in tennis, with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) committing to parity at the Queen’s Club Championships and Eastbourne Open by 2029, as announced on June 5, 2025. The initiative, reported by The Independent and Motociclismo.pt, marks a significant step toward gender equality in the sport, with Raducanu, alongside stars like Katie Boulter and Madison Keys, set to compete in the inaugural WTA 500 HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club from June 9-15, 2025—the first women’s event there in over 50 years.
The LTA has allocated $1.415 million (£1m) for the Queen’s WTA event, the highest for a WTA 500 of its draw size, and $389,000 (£287,000) for the Eastbourne WTA 250, per Tennisuptodate.com. However, these sums remain less than half the ATP equivalents—$2.83 million at Queen’s and $630,000 at Eastbourne—highlighting the gap Raducanu previously criticized. In a 2024 interview with The Times, she called the ATP-WTA prize money disparity “huge” and “unfair,” arguing that women’s players, often technically superior, rely on “speed, agility, and brain” rather than brute strength, yet face a financial shortfall despite playing best-of-three sets compared to men’s best-of-five at Slams.
LTA CEO Scott Lloyd emphasized the commitment to closing this gap, stating, “We are making significant increases to women’s prize money at Queen’s and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible,” per The Independent. The move aligns with growing visibility for women’s tennis, with 80% ticket sales for Queen’s WTA event (55% by female buyers) compared to a sold-out men’s tournament, per Jersey Evening Post. Raducanu’s advocacy builds on her 2021 US Open win, where she earned $2.5 million, contributing to her career prize money of $4,716,368 as of March 2025, per Sportskeeda.com. Her influence, amplified by nine major sponsorships including Nike and Dior, positions her as a key figure in this revolution, with fans on X, like @MSports_all, rallying behind her: “Emma Raducanu to Lead Revolution: Equal Prize Money by 2029.”
