The Wimbledon Open 2024 is raising the stakes aside from the bragging rights.
The London competition announced that prize money for participants has increased.
The winners will not be the only ones to take home a bigger purse; even those who finish in earlier rounds will pocket bigger cash.
The prize money increase applies to all categories and all levels of the competition.
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The total cash prize in Wimbledon has reached $63.4 million, $6.7 million higher than last year.
The increase in 2024 also represents the highest ever year-by-year.
Tournament officials attribute the prize increase to ticket sales and growing interest in the competition.
"Interest in attending Wimbledon has never been greater, with unprecedented demand for tickets through our public ballot and corporate hospitality," said Deborah Jevans, Chair of the All England Club.
"A thriving, successful Championships gives us the opportunity to give back: to the sport, to our local community, and to strategically invest for the future."
The winner of the Men's and Women's Singles will receive $3.4 million, while those who lost in the first round will receive $76,000, an increase of $5000 from last season.
Stars are skipping Wimbledon Open 2024
The prize money alone should be enough to attract the best players, but other stars can't turn their backs on their duty to their country.
Unfortunately, the Wimbledon Open takes place weeks before the Olympics.
The Wimbledon Open 2024 will take place from July 1 to July 14, while the Paris Olympics are scheduled for July 26 to July 11.
Among those who decided not to join Wimbledon are Rafael Nadal and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Nadal, who had already previewed his upcoming retirement, participated in the French Open but lost in the first round. He will skip the English joust as he believes it will help him in his conditioning for a clay court.
His skipping is also about taking care of his health.
"Looks difficult, honestly. For me, now, I can't confirm what's going on, but it looks difficult to make a transition to grass, having the Olympics again on clay," Nadal said in a statement.
"But I don't think it's going to be smart, after all the things that happened to my body (to) now make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back immediately to clay."
Nadal will participate in the Men's Singles category and the Men's Doubles with French Open 2024 and fast-rising superstar Carlos Alcaraz.
He won a singles gold medal during the 2008 Beijing Games and a 2016 gold in doubles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Alcaraz is excited about the idea of representing the country with one of the best tennis players in history.
Wimbledon Open 2024 participants
The competition will not lack stars, although it has not yet been confirmed whether Alcaraz will join Nadal among the absentees.
He previously said that he'd choose to represent Spain rather than defend his title.
"The Olympic Games are every four years and it's a special tournament where you're not only playing for yourself, but for a country, representing every Spaniard," he said.
"I think this year I'd choose Olympic gold."
Among the big names expected to participate at Wimbledon Open 2024 are Novak Djokovic (although he still has injury concerns), Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Casper Ruud.
French Open 2024 winner, Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, and Coco Gauff are ready to roll in the women's category.
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