US Open winners cop massive pay cut

The 2 singles champions astatine this year's U.S. Open volition gain 35 percent little than successful 2019, the past clip the Grand Slam tennis tourney allowed spectators, portion prize wealth for qualifying and the archetypal 3 rounds of the main gully volition emergence arsenic portion of an wide increase.

A twelvemonth aft banning fans wholly due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic and lowering prize wealth owed to mislaid revenue, the U.S. Tennis Association announced that it volition beryllium boosting full subordinate compensation to a grounds $57.5 million, somewhat much than the $57.2 cardinal successful 2019. The fig was $53.4 cardinal successful 2020.

The rubric winners successful singles each volition beryllium paid $2.5 million, down from $3 cardinal past twelvemonth and $3.85 cardinal 2 years ago. It is the lowest magnitude for the apical prize astatine Flushing Meadows since 2012, erstwhile the singles champs each received $1.9 million.

This year's singles runners-up volition beryllium paid $1.25 million, a alteration from $1.5 cardinal successful 2020 and $1.9 cardinal successful 2019 — and the lowest since $950,000 successful 2012.

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In 2020, U.S. Open qualifying was called disconnected amid the pandemic. That portion of this year's lawsuit starts Tuesday — dissimilar for the main tournament, nary spectators volition beryllium permitted — and volition grant astir $6 cardinal successful all, a leap from astir $3.5 cardinal successful 2019.

Other examples of increases successful singles: First-round prize wealth goes to $75,000, a bump of 23 percent from $61,000 successful 2020 and of 29 percent from $58,000 successful 2019; second-round payouts spell to $115,000 from $100,000 successful 2020 and 2019; and third-round payouts spell to $180,000 from $163,000 successful 2020 and 2019.

Total prize wealth is going up for each competition, the USTA said: singles, doubles, mixed doubles and wheelchair tennis.

"We determined our round-by-round prize wealth allocations by engaging successful an unfastened dialog with the players and the absorption of some tours," tourney manager Stacey Allaster said successful a connection issued by the USTA. "We applaud their corporate enactment successful directing the 2021 U.S. Open prize wealth to payment the maximum fig of players."

The singles gully successful New York is Friday AEST; main gully enactment begins Aug. 31 AEST.

Novak Djokovic volition beryllium bidding to implicit the archetypal calendar-year Grand Slam by a antheral since Rod Laver successful 1969 and eyeing a men's-record 21st large singles championship. Naomi Osaka is the defending women's champion arsenic she seeks a 5th Grand Slam title.

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