Australian Open increases Grand Slam prize money
Both the men and women's champions at the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar will receive $3.7 million after the overall fund available was raised to Aus$50 million. Nadal-Wawrinka live
Next month's Australian Open will offer Aus$50 million (US$36.25 million) in prize money, with the men's and women's singles champions both netting a cool $3.7 million, organisers said on Wednesday.
Raising the break-even point
The tournament-record purse, up 14 percent on the 2016 edition, also offers players $50,000 even if they lose in the first round.
'It was especially important for us to increase the compensation for players in the early rounds and qualifying, and this year we have made some real gains,' tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement.
'Our aim is to shift the break-even point for professional players, to ensure that tennis is a viable career option for the best male and female athletes in the world,' he added.
Prize money for qualifying matches at the year's first tennis Grand Slam is up 39 percent, and the $50,000 reward for reaching round one is a rise of 30 percent.
How the Grand Slams compare
By comparison, last year's US Open offered a total purse of US$46.3 million, while players won £28.1 million (US$34.7 million) at Wimbledon and 32 million euros (US$33.3 million) at the French Open.