MELBOURNE, January 24, 2019 (AO Press Release)

The world’s best players will compete for a record $71 million prize money at Australian Open 2020, an increase of 13.6 percent on the record purse in 2019.

The rise continues a remarkable growth in the event’s prize money in recent years, more than doubling over the last decade.

Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said the increase was another important step in continuing to invest in the playing group.

“We have long been committed to improving the pay and conditions for a deeper pool of international tennis players, in fact since AO 2007 prize money has more than tripled from $20 million to the $71 million for 2020 we are announcing today,” Tiley said.

“This year, as we do every year, we worked with the tours to establish the weighting for prize money increases round-by-round, and we pushed to reward players competing early in the tournament in both singles and doubles.

“We strongly believe in growing prize money at all levels of the game and we will continue to work with the playing group to create viable career paths in the sport and enable more players to make more money.”

There will be double digit percentage increases across qualifying and every round of the main draw except the final in singles. For example, players losing in the first round of qualifying will take home $20,000 up 33 percent, while players losing in the first round of the main draw will earn $90,000 in prize money in 2020.

Australian Open 2020 prize money fast facts:

·       First round qualifiers – $20,000 up 33.3 percent

·       First round doubles teams – $25,000 up 19.05 percent

·       First round main draw singles players – $90,000 up 20 percent

·       Players reaching the second round – $128,000 up 21.9 percent from $105,000

·       Semifinalists will earn $1.04 million, up 13 percent

·       Singles champions will take home $4.12 million

·       The total Australian Open prize purse is $71 million, up 13.6 percent on AO 2019

·       Australian Open prize money has increased by more than 412 percent, or $57.1 million in the 20 years since 2001, when it was $13.9 million

·       Prize money has more than doubled (183.9 percent increase) from $25 million in 2011 (10 years)

·       Prize money has increased 61.4 percent over the last five years

·       Prize money has increased 255 percent since Craig Tiley became Tournament Director for AO 2007.

Australian Open 2020 prize money:

*All prize money amounts are in Australian dollars.