NEW YORK: The US Open will offer total prize money of $57.5 million this year, eclipsing the record payout of $57.2m set in 2019, tournament organisers said yesterday.
The event was held without spectators last year, with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) lowering the prize money to $53.4m due to lost revenue. Despite the overall increase this year, prize money for the two singles winners has come down from $3m to $2.5m, with the runner-up cheque also reduced to $1.25m, a decrease of $50,000 from 2020.
“Last year was a very difficult year for all of us, and the pandemic had a profound impact on the USTA’s financial health,” said USTA CEO and executive director Mike Dowse.
“Yet we worked – and continue to work – extremely hard to ensure that tennis would continue to thrive for the long-term at every level, and that work led to more than four million new and returning players participating in tennis in 2020.”
First-round payouts go to $75,000, a jump of 23 per cent from 2020, while second-round prize money rises to $115,000 from $100,000.
Prize money has also been bumped up in the doubles, mixed doubles and wheelchair events. The US Open, which will welcome back fans this year, starts on August 30.
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