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Prize money at the U.S. Open rose to nearly $85 million across all competitions this year, including a record $5 million each to the women’s and men’s singles champions, and total player compensation jumped 20% to $90 million, the most in tennis history.
The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) announced the payouts for the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, which began with the new mixed doubles event and its $1 million top check on August 19-20. Singles competition started on a Sunday for the first time—August 24—as those brackets expand from 14 days to 15.
The increases at Flushing Meadows—where last year’s total compensation was $75 million—come as the sport’s leading players have been in discussions with each of the four major tournaments in a bid to receive a higher percentage of revenues at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff and 2024 U.S. Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called “decisions that directly impact us.” Since then, some players have held talks with the majors.
The previous high amount for a U.S. Open singles championship was $3.85 million in 2019, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s $5 million check represented a 39% hike from last year’s $3.6 million. The same percentage increase was applied to the singles runners-up, who get $2.5 million each. Semifinalists earned about $1.26 million, a 26% rise.
The news came after the USTA said in May that its main arena, Arthur Ashe Stadium, would be overhauled as part of an $800 million project touted as the “largest single investment” in U.S. Open history.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.