The Australian Open is racing towards the finish line. It has been two weeks of intense tennis action, and players have given their best to make the first Grand Slam of the year as memorable as possible. While there have been several standout moments this time, one of the biggest talking points is the prize money.
The Australian Open is one of the biggest marquee events, and it is also called the Happy Slam. Players have every reason to be happy this season because the prize money has been bumped up by 13%. The total prize pool sits at a whopping AU$86.5 million. Those who played in the early rounds are the biggest beneficiaries of this increase.
“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. We want to ensure Australia remains the launchpad for the global tennis season,” said Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia CEO (via Sporting News).
January 28 will see the last of the two matches—the women’s doubles final and the men’s singles final. The players are going to be rewarded handsomely for their efforts. In this article, we take a closer look at how much the players are going to make this year.
The stars of the women’s doubles
The women’s doubles category has borne witness to a lot of highs and lows this year. In addition to tennis, there have also been moments of drama between players on the court.
Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok took on Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-Wei in the finals. Su-Wei won the mixed doubles yesterday, and today she picked up the women’s doubles title as well.
Su-Wei Hsieh and @elise_mertens stave off a second set fightback to claim the title!
It’s a second #AusOpen crown for Mertens and a first for Hsieh, who also completes the doubles double!@Kia_Worldwide • #Kia • #MakeYourMove.@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/WpPHSnql9V
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2024
Each of the two champions will receive a check of $730,000, and the runners-up will pocket $400,000. The semifinalists and quarterfinalists will walk away with $227,500 and $128,000, respectively. All the players who participated in the first, second, and third rounds will make $36,000, $53,000, and $75,000, respectively.
The Australian Open men’s final
The men’s singles final saw Jannik Sinner lock horns with Daniil Medvedev. It is Sinner’s first-ever Grand Slam final, whereas it is Medvedev’s third at Melbourne Park.
Jannik knocked out the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, in their semifinal clash. Medvedev, on the other hand, defeated Alexander Zverev to make it to the final. Both players now stand on the cusp of glory.
The final battle 💥
Medvedev leads the H2H 6-3, but Sinner has won their past three meetings 👀#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/9sN1PCDTuh
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 26, 2024
The Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner will earn himself a check of $3.15 million, while the runner-up Medvedev will pocket $1.725 million. The semifinalist and the quarterfinalist walked away with $990,000 and $600,000, respectively.
All the players who made it to the fourth, third, second, and first rounds have made $375,000, $255,000, $180,000, and $120,000, respectively. The qualifiers for the first, second, and third rounds earned $31,250, $44,100, and $65,000 in prize money.