Australian Open Increases Prize Money to Record High

Published 12/31/2018, 8:13 PM EST

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All eyes are on the 107th edition of the Australian Open. It’s the first Grand Slam event to feature final set tie-breaks. When the scores would reach 6-6 in the final set, the first player to score 10 points and be leading by at least 2 points will be delayed the winner of the match. Also, a 10-minute break for the heat will be allowed after the third set for the ATP men. In addition to everything, the prize money at the Australian major has shot up by 14 per cent than in the year 2018. The prize money amount all together sums up to $62.5 million. The organisers of the Australia Open ensure a sustainable professional drive for the upcoming players. 

“We make no secret of our commitment to looking after the players as well as we possibly can, and ensuring they have a great experience at the Australian Open,” the AO Tournament Director CEO Craig Tiley, explained.“The players are the stars of the show. They bring in the crowds and fill the stadiums, they inspire the next generation to pick up a racquet, and the rest of us to always keep trying, and push the boundaries of what is possible. For all of these things and more, we invest significant resources in looking after the players, including state-of-the-art facilities, the world’s friendliest player services team and appropriate compensation”.

Interestingly, in the first round doubles, teams will earn $21,000 which is 13.51 per cent more than last year. The qualifiers will be earning double amount than last year, which is about $15,000. There is a 25 per cent hike for the first round main draw singles players, they’ll earn about $75,000. Also, the players will earn $105,000 for reaching the second round. The champions wrap up an amount of $4.1 million. Over the past 20 years prize money has increased by more than 351 per cent or $48.6 million in the 20 years since 2001, when it was $13.9 million.

This year the legend, Serena Williams will be seen defending on the courts of the Melbourne Park. It will be her first Australian Open since her victory against her sister Venus in 2017 and maternity hiatus. She will be a threat to the defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and other 126 WTA players. On the men’s court, the fans hope Roger Federer to seal his hat-trick with Australian Open titles and become the ATP tennis player with the highest number of Australian Open titles. However, the ‘resurged king’, Novak Djokovic is also in the race to achieve his seventh major in Melbourne.

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Mahalakshmi Murali

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.
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