Wimbledon Corner

Dispatches from SW19

THE GOVERNING body of men's tennis, the ATP Tour, set the Wimbledon exchange rate this year at US$1.5915 to pounds 1. A "Prize Money Breakdown" statement added: "All players are paid in British pounds, not US dollars, and if the player changes his cheque into dollars, it may not be at the rate quoted above."So unless the payee is British, bank charges or commission will diminish the returns. Thomas Cook's commission rate is 2 per cent. One teller, asked the charge for pounds 455,000 (prize for the men's singles winner), said: "For that, we'd knock the rate down a bit. One per cent?"

Today's number - 45.

Percentage from Japan of the pounds 45m annual global Wimbledon-branded merchandise revenue.