US Open: Prize money increased by USTA

The United States Tennis Association has announced a further increase in prize money for the US Open.

The move has been made in response to calls from the ATP who were unhappy with the $4m increase unveiled in December, which took the prize fund up to $29.5m.

Talks have since taken place between the USTA and leading players and the USTA has confirmed another $4.1m will now be paid out in prize money this summer, while the total amount will reach $50m in 2017, an increase of almost 100 per cent in five years.

There had been talk of a potential strike at this year's tournament in New York if the USTA stuck to its initial plan, with the leading players also unhappy at the decision to move the men's singles final to the third Monday.

The ATP had been pushing for a day in between the men's semi-finals and final but was not impressed with the plan to stage the matches on Saturday and Monday rather than Friday and Sunday, following rain delays in the last five years.

The Monday final will stay for this year and next year but from 2015 the tournament will revert back to a 14-day format and have the semi-finals on Friday and the final on Sunday, with the women's singles final on the Saturday.

ATP Player Council president Roger Federer said: "The USTA approached our concerns with a true spirit of partnership and, as president of the ATP Player Council, I am personally grateful for their support.

"The US Open is very special and we all look forward to great competition at Flushing Meadows later this year and in the years yet to come."

Why do they feel it is necessary to increase prize money? Tennis players are making millions as it is. This is a Grand Slam, if it were a smaller tournament and the money was for some of the newer players I would not mind but seriously!

More on the same topic.

Roland Garros tournament director Gilbert Ysern tells The New York Times that the French Open plans to increase prize money “spectacularly” from 2013 to 2016, but won’t match the U.S. Open’s massive increase.

The USTA announced on Wednesday that it will offer a $33.6 million purse in 2013, a 31.7 percent increase over 2012, and will give out $50 million by 2017.

“We’re going to be below the U.S. Open, but we’re on the same path,” said Ysern. “I think quite sincerely that there’s a logic to paying the players more than we have until now. I am particularly convinced there’s a logic to reducing the gap between the first-week players and the second-week players and to raise the prize money for the first week. I think that really is logical, but after that, I think you have to be reasonable.”

ATP board member Justin Gimelstob told The Times that the players are taking a close look at Roland Garros expansion plans, which include new mini-stadiums and a roof over center court. However, those plans are currently on hold, as a Paris judge recently ruled that the plans don’t satisfy environmental regulations.

“The players view that as building on their sweat equity,” Gimelstob said. “The French Open is in tremendous jeopardy of falling behind after what the U.S. Open and Australian Open have announced.”