The prize fund for this year’s Australian Open has been increased by 16% to US$74.88m (R1.22bn) making it the largest purse in the tournament’s history, organisers announced on Tuesday.
The two singles champions will each pocket A$4.15m (R45.5m), up from the A$3.5m (R38.4m) which Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys took home last year.
“This 16% increase demonstrates our commitment to supporting tennis careers at every level,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said.
“From boosting qualifying prize money by 55% since 2023 to enhancing player benefits, we’re ensuring professional tennis is sustainable for all competitors.”
The US Open offered the largest prize fund of the Grand Slams last year with US$90m (R1.47bn), while Wimbledon offered a total of £53.5m (R1.18bn) and the French Open €56.35m (R1.08bn).
First-round losers at the Australian Open will walk away with A$150,000, a hike of 14% from 2025, while the qualifying rounds will see the largest hike of 16%. Those falling in third round of qualifying will earn A$83,500.
The prize money increase is part of Tennis Australia’s US$135m (R2.2bn) investment across the “Summer of Tennis”, which, Tiley said, “strengthens tennis’s foundation, ensuring the sport’s long-term health and commercial growth”.
The Australian Open runs from January 18 to February 1 at Melbourne Park.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week’s Australian Open warm-up tournament in Adelaide to focus on being ready for the year’s first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.
The 24-times major champion, who won the Adelaide International in 2023, made the announcement in a statement on social media.
“To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately I’m not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week,” the 38-year-old Serbian said.
“It’s personally very disappointing to me, as I have such great memories of winning the title there.
“My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon and seeing all the tennis fans in Australia.”
Djokovic will be bidding for an 11th Australian Open crown and record 25th Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park. The tournament runs from January 18 to February 1.
Reuters
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