WTA announces 'major milestone' with equal prize money at Italian Open and other big events in 2027‎

Billie Jean King has often said that she was moved to form the women’s pro tennis circuit after earning $600 for her 1970 Italian Open title — while Ilie Nastase took home $3,500 for winning the men’s tournament the same year. In 2027 — nearly six decades after King's title at the Foro Italico — the Rome clay-court event will finally award women the same amount of total prize money as men, as part a “major milestone” initiative that the WTA Tour announced Thursday. The initiative means that all combined WTA 1000 events will award equal prize money for the first time.