US Open – Prize Money Breakdown 2022
As the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open often brings in one of the biggest crowds in tennis. Fans flock to New York City every year to catch all the best men and women play, and they compete for a the biggest purse in the game during those two weeks. Many are shocked to hear just how much money is presented to the winner during the trophy ceremony every single year.
How much does the singles champion receive in prize money at the US Open? The US Open singles champion in the men’s and women’s event will take home $2.5 million each. Like all the other Grand Slams, both genders receive equal pay for not only winning the tournament, but in every other round as well.
Total Prize Money Breakdown
It was once again a new record for the US Open in 2021, as they paid out over $57 million in prize money for the entire tournament. The biggest paydays went to the singles champions, followed by the runner up, and the two semifinalists in singles. The biggest payday outside of singles went to the double champion, as they took home a combined $660,000.
Below is a complete prize money breakdown in all the main events: Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
Singles
| Singles | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Winner | $2.5M |
| Runner-Up | $1.25M |
| Semi-Final | $675K |
| Quarter-Final | $425K |
| R16 | $265K |
| R32 | $180K |
| R64 | $115K |
| R128 | $75K |
The US Open matches up very well with all the other major tournaments as far as paying their players are concerned. Many consider the US Open as the most lucrative opportunity available, because a long run can open up plenty of sponsorship opportunities in the United States, and internationally. That is not even factoring in the prize money just for performance on the court.
As far as tournament play is concerned, the winner receives $2.5 million. It splits roughly in half going down the line, but it starts to be a little more favorable to the players who only make it to a few rounds. For example, making the round of 32 is a payout of $180,000, and making the round of 64 is $115,000. The US Open has also made a conscious effort to pay out pretty well to people who just make it to qualifying, as players receive anywhere from $11,000-$32,000 without even making the main draw.
It might not seem like that much money to the average pro tennis player, but this extra money distributed to qualifiers can help keep players on tour. Some of the players who don’t have a high ranking rely on paydays like this to keep their dream going. It was one of the focuses of not only the US Open, but all the Grand Slams to take care of the lower-ranked players instead of giving a huge amount to the winners every year.
Doubles
| Doubles | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Winner | $660K |
| Runner-Up | $330K |
| Semi-Final | $164K |
| Quarter-Final | $93K |
| R16 | $54K |
| R32 | $34K |
| R64 | $20K |
The Grand Slam events are one of the biggest money-makers for doubles and mixed doubles in the tennis season. Even making just a few rounds can help pay the bills for players who do not have a particularly high rank. That is why so many people will enter the tournament if they can, trying to make a push for a huge victory. The doubles specialists are always challenging to get through, but some singles team find a way to make surprising runs.
The doubles winners at the US Open receives $660,000. It followed a similar trend as the singles, split in half going down to the round of 64. There are only 64 doubles teams in the tournament, so the lowest payday for playing in a doubles tournament is $20,000.
Mixed Doubles
| Mixed Doubles | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Winner | $160K |
| Runner-Up | $76K |
| Semi-Final | $38K |
| Quarter-Final | $20K |
| R16 | $11K |
| R32 | $6K |
Mixed doubles is not nearly as popular, so the paydays are pretty small, comparatively speaking. The winner of the mixed doubles tournament only received $160,000, while the runner-up team only receive $76,000. There are 32 pairings in mixed doubles, and making a tournament allows your team to win $5900.
US Open – Prize Money History
The US Open has always focused on being one of the biggest tournaments in tennis. They take a lot of pride in offering the richest price of all the Grand Slams. They can do this thanks to some great sponsors, a lucrative broadcasting contract, and more.
The tournament started as the US National Championship, first held in 1881. It did not start handing out money to professional tennis players until the open era began in 1968. The prize money have increased pretty much every year since the first tournament 1968.
Here is a breakdown of how much prize money that have been involved in the US Open tournament each year since the start 1968.
| Year | Total Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1968 | $26K |
| 1969 | $33K |
| 1970 | $42K |
| 1971 | $38K |
| 1972 | $50K |
| 1973 | $52K |
| 1974 | $97K |
| 1975 | $115K |
| 1976 | $158K |
| 1977 | $223K |
| 1978 | $279K |
| 1979 | $277K |
| 1980 | $293K |
| 1981 | $322K |
| 1982 | $593K |
| 1983 | $978K |
| 1984 | $1.5M |
| 1985 | $1.9M |
| 1986 | $2.1M |
| 1987 | $2.1M |
| 1988 | $2.6M |
| 1989 | $3.1M |
| 1990 | $3.8M |
| 1991 | $4M |
| 1992 | $4.4M |
| 1993 | $5M |
| 1994 | $5.7M |
| 1995 | $6M |
| 1996 | $6.5M |
| 1997 | $6.9M |
| 1998 | $7.2M |
| 1999 | $7.6M |
| 2000 | $15M |
| 2001 | $15.8M |
| 2002 | $16.2M |
| 2003 | $17.1M |
| 2004 | $17.8M |
| 2005 | $17.7M |
| 2006 | $21.2M |
| 2007 | $19.7M |
| 2008 | $20.7M |
| 2009 | $21.7M |
| 2010 | $22.7M |
| 2011 | $23.7M |
| 2012 | $25.5M |
| 2013 | $34.3M |
| 2014 | $38.3M |
| 2015 | $42.3M |
| 2016 | $46.3M |
| 2017 | $50.5M |
| 2018 | $50.6M |
| 2019 | $57.2M |
| 2020 | N/A |
| 2021 | $57,462,000 |
In recent years, prize money has shot up considerably. The total prize money was just over $25.5 million in 2012, and only passed $20 million for the first time in 2008. One of the biggest jumps came at the turn of the century, as the 2000 US Open practically doubled the prize money compared to 1999.
One bonus that used to be available to men’s and women’s singles players is winning the US Open Series. Several tournaments lead up to the US Open located in various North American cities. If a player picks up the most points during that run, they have an opportunity of receiving a bonus if they win the US Open.
The first player to receive the bonus was Kim Clijsters in 2005, and it resulted in the largest payday in women’s sports history, as she collected a total of $2.2 million. Roger Federer was the first man to pull his feet off in 2007, and his money total jumped up to $2.4 million.
Since 2017, the US Open Series has stopped offering this bonus. It has resulted in slightly less incentive for players to play all of the hardcourt tournaments leading up to the US Open.
The US Open is now as strong as ever, and they have invested in the location to keep it in New York City for years to come. Do not be surprised to see it at the top for years to come.
If you want to compare the US Open prize money to the other Grand Slam tournaments, check out these posts:
