( CNN ) -- The winners of this year 's singles titles at Wimbledon will receive record prize money of $ 1.7 million , organizers have confirmed . That represents an increase of $ 163,000 from the 2010 tournament , with the overall purse hitting a new record level of $ 23.8 million -- a 6.4 per cent increase on last year . World number one Rafael Nadal , who beat Thomas Berdych in the men 's final in 2010 , and Serena Williams , who defeated Vera Zvonareva in the women 's , received prize money of over £1 million ( $ 1.6m ) for the first time ever . Philip Brook , chairman of the All England Club , who host the competition , said : `` Leading international sports events such as Wimbledon are all about the quality of the players on show . `` It is important that we offer prize money which suitably rewards the players both for the box-office appeal they bring to the event and for their supreme performances on court . '' The Australian Open pays winners the most out of the four grand slam tournaments in the tennis season , with Novak Djokovic and Kim Clijsters picking up $ 2.2 million for their Melbourne victories in January . This year 's Wimbledon , which starts on Monday June 20 , will also see spectator capacity increased by 1,000 thanks to the opening of two revamped courts on the London site .
Wimbledon has announced record prize money for this year 's tournament . The winners of the men 's and women 's singles titles will take home $ 1.7 million . The 2010 winners , Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams , collected $ 1.6 million .