Sports News | Australian Open Tennis Tournament Increases Prize Money by 13% for a Total Pool of $58.4 Million

Melbourne, Dec 29 (AP) Australian Open tennis officials have announced an increase in prize money by 10 million Australian dollars (USD 6.8 million) for the upcoming tournament which begins on Jan. 14 at Melbourne Park.

Tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement Friday that the Grand Slam tournament will now offer 86.5 Australian dollars (USD58.4 million) in total prize money.

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The U.S. Open announced in August that it was increasing its total prize money and player compensation to a record USD 65 million, which is the highest among the four Grand Slam tournaments.

“We've upped prize money for every round at the Australian Open with the major increases in qualifying and the early rounds of singles and doubles,” Tiley said.

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At Melbourne, first-round qualifiers will receive a 20% increase to 31,250 Australian dollars (about USD 21,000). Men's and women's singles champions will receive $3.15 million Australian dollars each (about $2.15 million).

The women's final, where Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion, is set for Jan. 27. The men's final, where Novak Djokovic is the defending champion, is scheduled for for Jan. 28. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)