Wimbledon ticket prices for women's final raised to match men for 1st time since 1991

For the first time since 1991, the All England Club has opted to price tickets for the Wimbledon men's and women's singles championships on same level. Both the men's and women's singles events at Wimbledon 2022 will have the same ticket price. A single ticket for the men's final between Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini cost £240 last year, while tickets for the women's singles match between Ash Barty and Karolina Pliskova cost £200.

Raducanu's rise key reason for the increased price?

According to The Times, the tickets for this year's Wimbledon finals will cost spectators £240 for both the men's and women's singles events. According to the report, the decision to increase the ticket price of the women's Wimbledon event was made keeping in mind the recent rise of British tennis player Emma Raducanu at the international stage and to ensure that the women's event is given equal importance as the men's. 

Raducanu was seeded 17th and ranked No. 18 in the world when she entered the recently finished Australian Open. Raducanu, on the other hand, couldn't live up to her WTA ranking and was knocked out of the first grand slam of the year after losing in the second round to Danka Kovinic. Despite the loss, Raducanu improved her standing to 13th in the WTA rankings.

The All England Club's decision to raise ticket prices for the women's singles tournament is expected to be criticised in the tennis world considering the fact that female players are only obliged to play three-set matches as opposed to men's five-set matches. The women's singles final between Barty and Pliskova last year lasted half as long as the match between Djokovic and Berrettini, who played their five sets in three hours and 23 minutes.

Another change that will be introduced this year is the tiered pricing of seats in Centre Court and Court No. 1. Earlier, prices of all the seats located in the Centre Court were the same but this year, the lower sections will have to pay more. In Wimbledon 2022, ticket costs for semi-final events in both the men's and women's singles championships will be the same. The Wimbledon championships will start on June 27 and run until July 10.

Image: AP