Wimbledon first awarded equal prize money to men and women in 2007.
That decision made Wimbledon and the French Open the last two Grand Slam tournaments to adopt equal prize money for their men’s and women’s singles champions. At the 2007 Championships, both singles winners received £700,000, a sharp increase from the previous year, when the men’s champion received £655,000 and the women’s champion £625,000.
The change concerned prize money, not match format: men’s singles matches continued to be best of five sets, while women’s singles matches remained best of three. Equal pay meant equal tournament-round awards in the relevant events, even though match lengths could differ.
Prize money had first been awarded at Wimbledon in 1968, the first year of the Open Era, when professionals were admitted. The original gap was substantial: the men’s singles champion earned £2,000, while the women’s champion received £750. The 2007 change closed that long-running difference at Wimbledon.