Australian Open To Award $52M In First Grand Slam Tournament Of 2023
Monday, January 2, 2023 at 06:17PM By Barry Janoff
January 2, 2023: Organizers for the Australian Open said participants would be playing for a prize pool of $52.135 million, including $2 million each for the men’s and women’s singles winners, $1.1 million each for the men’s and women’s singles runners-up and $476,677 for the men’s and women’s doubles-team winners.
That would include Novak Djokovic, who has won the event nine times, most recently in 2021, but did not play in last year’s tournament after being deported from Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions, which have since been amended.
The numbers are about on-par with the 2022 tournament, when total prize money was $54 million and Rafael Nadal and Ash Barty, the men's and women's singles champions, respectively, each received just over $2.1 million.
“It is critical to the continued success of the Australian tennis summer that we provide strong and relevant playing opportunities and ensure that the best players in the world are compensated appropriately,” Craig Tiley, Australian Open tournament director, said via the organization.
“We want to ensure Australia is the launchpad for the global season and that we see as much of them as possible. They inspire us all to engage in this great sport as well as inspiring future generations.”
(See the Main Draw here.)
The financial rewards for the first Grand Slam of 2023, scheduled for Jan. 16-29 (ESPN, Tennis Channel), come as tennis continues to see a boost in prize money following post-COVID 19 restrictions.
The ATP Tour recently unveiled financial plans for 2023, including total compensation at ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events to reach a record $217.9 million.
The total is a $37.5 million increase versus 2022, also an ATP year-over-year record.
“Our players are world-class athletes and it’s our priority to ensure they’re compensated accordingly,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said via the organization.
Across all events in Australia this month, including the inaugural United Cup, total prize money will top a record $68 million.
“We are delighted to have more than $100 million (AUS) in prize money on offer across the Australian summer, along with more chances to compete across the country,” said Tiley.
“We’ve worked tirelessly alongside the ATP and WTA to launch the exciting new United Cup, which includes its own significant ranking points and prize money, a further two WTA and ATP events in Adelaide, the Hobart International and an upgraded ATP 100 Challenger in Canberra.”
By comparison, total prize money for the 2022 Roland Garros Grand Slam was $46.7 million. Nadal and Iga Swiatek, the men's and women's singles champions, each received $2.14 million.
The 2022 Wimbledon Grand Slam offered a tournament record $50.5 million in total player prize money, with men’s singles winner Djokovic and and women’s singles winner Elena Rybakina each earning $2.5 million.
At the 2022 U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Swiatek, the men’s and women’s singles winners, earned $2.6 million each from a total prize pool of $60.1 million.
Organizers said Australian Open prize money has increased by more than 321% since 2003 (20 years) and 155% since 2013 (10 years).
“At the Australian Open we’ve upped prize money for every round from qualifying, through to the finals, with the major increases in the early rounds,’ said Tiley,
“These substantial rewards help players invest in their own careers and in many cases, set themselves up for success throughout the year.”
ATP Tour Prize Money To Reach Record $218M In 2023
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