How much money Venus and Serena Williams are guaranteed to earn at Wimbledon

Venus Williams and Serena Williams have been given a wildcard to compete in the women’s doubles at Wimbledon in a move which, on a business level, makes a lot of sense.

44-year-old Serena’s return at Queen’s last week was appointment viewing. Tickets for the HSBC Championships exploded on resale markets.

Ultimately, she had to withdraw after her partner Victoria Mboko was forced to retire with an injury sustained in her singles campaign. But the pair’s victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe was one of the most talked about events in tennis this year.

Wimbledon has never struggled to ship tickets. Tens of thousands of fans who weren’t successful in the ballot queue for hours to get into the slam, while debentures on Centre Court trade hands for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

But the bombshell news that Serena and Venus are reuniting for the doubles, as well as the prospect of Serena being handed a wildcard for the singles, has lit a fire under the tournament, which starts on 29 June.

Prize money has been high on the agenda in the run up to the slam. Last week, following a campaign by players and the threat of a media boycott, Wimbledon announced that the total purse available to players would rise by 20 per cent to £64.2m.

So, how much will Serena and Venus share in that?

After the 20 per cent increase, Wimbledon’s official breakdown of the tournament finances suggests that the pair will earn £18,000 between them as a minimum for competing in the first round, increasing to £29,000 if they win.

Should they be victorious in the next round, they’ll take home £48,000. The amount then roughly doubles in each round, with the ultimate champions earning £380,000.

It’s a drop in the ocean for the sisters. Serena’s career prize money is nearly $95m, while Venus, who is one year Serena’s senior, has earned $43m.

Their respective sponsors, Nike and Lacoste, will likely supplement their income significantly, however, as will their other endorsements.