US Open compensation tops $50 million
July 18, 2017
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The USTA today announced that the prize money for the 2017 US Open will increase by more than $4 million, bringing the total purse for the tournament to a record $50.4 million, a 9 percent increase over the 2016 US Open prize money totals. With those increases, the US Open becomes the first tennis tournament in history with total prize money compensation topping $50 million. Once again, the tournament will provide the richest purse in tennis history.
Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $3.7 million, the largest payout in US Open history. The average increase per round for the singles competition is 7.5 percent above the 2016 US Open. Similar to the past two years, the largest percentage gains by round are in the first and second rounds of the tournament. Both the men’s and women’s doubles champion teams will earn $675,000, the highest in US Open history, and overall doubles prize money has been increased by 8.6 percent. The US Open Qualifying Tournament will offer more than $2.9 million in prize money, an unprecedented 49.2 percent increase over 2016.
Round-by-round individual prize money for the US Open is as follows:
Singles:
Doubles (each team):
“Five years ago, we committed to the players that total player compensation for players would reach $50 million at the US Open, and we are honoring that commitment,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams. “In addition to unprecedented prize money increases, players also will see a host of new amenities at this year’s tournament including upgrades to Player Dining, a more generous meal allowance, upgrades to all player workout facilities, and additional quiet room space. Our goal is to make every experience at the US Open, whether for the players, our fans, or our partners, the best, world-class experience possible.”
Twenty years ago, the US Open was transformed by the introduction of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The new centerpiece of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Arthur Ashe Stadium providing the game’s greats – and its greatest fans – with a stage unmatched in the sport’s annals. Boasting a capacity of more than 23,000, Arthur Ashe Stadium became the largest tennis-only stadium in the world, allowing the Open to welcome more than half a million more fans than when its namesake won the men’s singles championship in 1968. Best of all, the stadium has grown with the times. In 2016, it added a retractable roof, banishing rain delays to the historical record and ensuring that the US Open’s loyal legion of supporters could continue to experience the grandeur of US Open tennis regardless of the weather. Today, Arthur Ashe Stadium stands as the ultimate showcase for the world’s finest players to complete the toughest two weeks in tennis.
This year’s US Open is scheduled for August 28 through September 10, with the US Open Qualifying Tournament beginning on August 22. The USTA is continuing its transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with a new Louis Armstrong Stadium in 2018.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network.For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.