The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced on October 1, 2026, that the WTA 1000 tournaments in Rome, Canada, and Cincinnati will offer prize money equivalent to their male counterparts starting in 2027. This follows existing measures where salary equality between male and female players was already in place at certain WTA 1000 tournaments, including Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Beijing, as well as in mixed competitions such as the United Cup. With the addition of Cincinnati, Canada, and Rome, all tournaments shared by the ATP and WTA circuits will present equal prize money for male and female players. The WTA, through its president Valérie Camillo, also outlined several changes to the tournament calendar, aimed at providing greater flexibility for athletes. These changes include reducing the number of mandatory WTA 500 tournaments from six to four, leading to a standard calendar of 18 tournaments for female players, comprising 14 on the WTA circuit and the four Grand Slam tournaments. Valérie Camillo stated that the WTA is intensifying its efforts to provide more for female players and tournaments in 2027, emphasizing the importance of the changes in response to feedback from female players regarding the requirements of the calendar. She highlighted that the equality of prize money for all WTA 1000 tournaments is a major step for tennis, testifying to the WTA's commitment to be a model for the sports sector by guaranteeing competitive and financial equality to its athletes. Jessica Pegula, president of the council that worked with the WTA to reach these decisions, noted that the changes aim to provide greater flexibility to female players, allowing them to build their seasons around their own goals, both competitively and personally.