This year, the U.S. Open is set to make waves with nearly $85 million in prize money across all events, featuring an unprecedented $5 million for each singles champion, male and female alike. Total player compensation is soaring by 20% to a record-breaking $90 million, marking a historic milestone in tennis.
The U.S. Tennis Association unveiled these new figures on Wednesday, exciting fans for the final Grand Slam of the year, kicking off with a fresh mixed doubles event offering a spectacular $1 million top prize on August 19-20. For the first time, singles matches commence on a Sunday, August 24, allowing for an extended 15-day competition.
The generous increases at Flushing Meadows — a jump from last year’s $75 million in total payouts — arise amidst ongoing negotiations between elite players and the four major tournaments, aiming for a greater share of revenues at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open, and Australian Open.
Prominent figures like Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and anticipated 2024 U.S. Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are part of a cohort of 20 players who submitted a letter in March to the heads of the Grand Slam events, advocating for increased prize money and more influence over critical decisions that directly affect them. Since then, dialogues with tournament organizers have been ongoing.
The previous record for U.S. Open singles championships stood at $3.85 million back in 2019, but saw reductions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With this year’s $5 million prize, players will enjoy a remarkable 39% increase compared to last year’s $3.6 million. The singles runners-up will also receive a similar uplift, taking home $2.5 million each, while semifinalists will benefit from a 26% raise, earning $1.26 million.
As a point of comparison, Wimbledon recently concluded with a prize pool increase of around 7%, totaling about $73 million, with singles champions earning approximately $4 million each.
In New York, champions in both men’s and women’s doubles will now receive $1 million, setting a new standard for those competitions at the U.S. Open, where overall payouts for qualifying rounds are set to rise to $8 million, reflecting a 10% increase.
The impressive $85 million prize pool for the 2025 U.S. Open encompasses singles, doubles, qualifying, and wheelchair events.
This announcement follows the USTA’s May declaration regarding a comprehensive revamp of its primary venue, Arthur Ashe Stadium, part of an ambitious $800 million investment deemed the “largest single investment” in U.S. Open history.
