Prize money up at Wimbledon

By Clare Lovell

LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer will earn 750,000 pounds ($1.49 million), an increase of 7.1 percent on 2007, if he wins a sixth successive Wimbledon title in July.

The women's champion will receive the same amount after Wimbledon brought in equal prize money last year, the All England Club's chief executive Ian Ritchie told a news conference on Tuesday.

Federer, who has been struggling for form this season, and women's champion Venus Williams took home 700,000 pounds apiece in 2007.

Total prize money will rise by 4.7 percent, from 11,282,710 pounds to 11,812,000.

Prize money for each of the men's and women's doubles events will top one million pounds for the first time, with the winning pairs receiving 230,000 pounds.

Ritchie also said building work to fit a retractable roof for the 2009 championships was on schedule.

On Tuesday Wimbledon's grounds were filled with cranes, scaffolding and builders but Ritchie said the arenas, including an enlarged Centre Court with 1,200 extra seats, would be ready for this year's tournament which runs from June 23 to July 6.