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Australian Open Prize Money

2023 Breakdown & Historicals

By Jon Crim
Image Credit: Australian Open

The Australian Open will run over two weeks, from Sunday, January 15 to Sunday, January 29, 2023, and features record-high prize money of $76,500,000, which translates to $52,828,222 USD, €49,133,761 and £43,494,003, a 3% increase compared to 2022.

Despite being the youngest Grand Slam, which started 28 years after Wimbledon in 1905, the Australian Open is now the second highest-paying professional tennis tournament worldwide, right behind the US Open.

Men and women will play for equal prize money at the Australian Open, with the singles champions taking home a staggering $2,975,000 and the runner-up earning just over half that amount or $1,625,000. These amounts represent a low 3% increases versus 2022, which is the magic number, as all rounds have increased by that amount.

In doubles, the sums are equally impressive for men and women, with the winning pairs splitting a $695,000 check and the teams who land the runner-up position divvying up $370,000. Like singles, nearly all doubles rounds are hitting roughly a 3% increase over the prior year.

The modest increase in 2023 prize money at the Australian Open isn’t surprising, considering organizers limited fans to 50% capacity in 2022 and as low as 30% in 2021, a direct hit to tournament revenue. However, with attendance restrictions lifted, this year’s tournament will likely result in a more impressive increase in the purse for next year.

Overall, this year is an exciting year for players competing in Australia, with the Australian Open’s tournament director, Craig Tiley, sharing that for the first time, more than $100,000,000 is up for grabs throughout the summer at all tennis tournaments in the country.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about the 2023 purse, including a complete breakdown by round and historical data for comparison and reference.

Article Contents

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How the Aus Open is Funded

Prize Money Distribution

Men vs. Women

2023 Full Breakdown

Prize Money by Year

FAQs

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How the Australian Open is Funded

Owned and operated by Tennis Australia, the Australian Open is big business. In 2018, the tournament drew a massive fan base of 743,667 with a reported $320 million in revenue. That year, they offered total prize money of $55,000,000, 17% of total revenues.

In other words, the Australian Open generally brings enough cash to fund its impressive prize money. For context, the tournament generates revenue from a few key areas, including sponsorships, broadcasting rights, ticket sales, concessions, and merchandise.

Although exact figures aren’t available for a revenue breakdown of the Australian Open, we can glean some insight from Wimbledon and the US Open. Here’s a look at how those tournaments faired in 2017.

Revenue Breakdown	Wimbledon 2017	US Open 2017
Broadcasting	55%	36%
Ticket Sales	16%	36%
Sponsorships	16%	19%
Concessions & Merch	12%	9%

Australian Open Revenue Breakdown (Guesstimates)

Broadcasting: 35%
Ticket Sales: 35%
Sponsorships: 20%
Concessions & Merch: 10%

The US Open has significantly higher attendance, so their ticket sales far exceed that of Wimbledon, which is also likely the case for the Australian Open, which can host more fans. Here’s a quick comparison of attendance numbers in 2019 for each of the majors.

Australian Open: 796,435
French Open: 470,000
Wimbledon: 500,397
US Open: 737,872

As a result, the Australian Open has consistently delivered some of the biggest sums in prize money. Here’s a look at how the tournament compared to the other three Grand Slams in 2022.

Grand Slam	Native Currency	US Dollars
Australian Open	$75,000,000	$51,528,000
French Open	€43,600,000	$43,308,534
Wimbledon	£40,350,000	$47,468,345
US Open	$60,000,000	$60,000,000

Compared to the US Open, the highest-paying Grand Slam, the Australian Open offered 14% less prize money. In contrast, they delivered 16% more than the French Open, which has the smallest purse.

Despite setbacks for the tournament, which included a $78 million loss for running the 2021 event, I’d fully expect the Australian Open to remain one of the highest-paying tournaments, especially considering their aggressive three-phase expansion set to complete in 2023.

Prize Money Distribution

At a high level, prize money at the Australian Open breaks down by discipline, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and qualifying rounds. Here’s a look at that distribution for available 2023 data.

Event	Prize Money	% of Total
Singles	$53,814,000	64%
Singles Qualifiers	$7,433,600	9%
Doubles	$8,448,400	10%
Mixed Doubles	$1,300,000	2%
Other	$12,937,600	15%
Total	$83,933,600	100%

However, consistent with other tennis tournaments, the Australian Open’s prize money breaks down further by round, with players earning more the further they progress. For context, here’s a table of payouts for the men’s and women’s singles for 2023 by round, including qualifiers.

2023	US Dollar	AUS Dollar	Sterling Pound
Winner	$1,998,278	$2,975,000	£1,570,012
Runner-up	$1,091,496	$1,625,000	£857,570
Semifinal	$621,313	$925,000	£488,155
Quarterfinal	$372,956	$555,250	£293,025
Round 4	$227,199	$338,250	£178,506
Round 3	$153,095	$227,925	£120,284
Round 2	$106,698	$158,850	£83,831
Round 1	$71,367	$106,250	£56,072
Qualies Round 3	$37,044	$55,150	£29,105
Qualies Round 2	$24,567	$36,575	£19,302
Qualies Round 1	$17,464	$26,000	£13,721

Overall, investment in singles represents the lion’s share of prize money, which isn’t surprising as it draws the most viewership.

Men vs. Women

Shortly after the new millennium in 2001, the Australian Open followed in the US Open’s footsteps, instituting equal prize money for men and women. Although it came over 20 years after the triumph in Flushing Meadows, it was another huge milestone for the sport.

Shortly after, the French Open and finally, Wimbledon would follow suit. Here’s a look at when each of the Grand Slams switched.

US Open: 1973
Australian Open: 2001
French Open: 2006
Wimbledon: 2007

As a point of reference, the pay gap for men in women at the Australian Open in 1978 was 583%, with the men’s winner taking home 151,500 and the women’s champion netting a mere $22,200.

Although it’s worth noting that prize money at the Australian Open was equal for men and women for a few years during the 80s and 90s, it slid backward for a few years until they fully committed in 2001.

2023 Full Breakdown

The Australian Open has experienced significant growth in prize money since we ushered in the new millennium, with increases every year, even during the pandemic when ticket sales were heavily restricted.

On average, prize money since 2000 has increased by 8%. The most significant percentage increase to prize money came in 2015 when it jumped $13 million to $40,000,000 or 21% over the prior year, while the lowest came in 2005 when prize money only moved up $100,000 to $19,100,000 for a .5% improvement over 20224.

For 2023, prize money will improve by 3.38% for players. On the surface, the increase might not seem overly impressive. However, considering significantly lower ticket sales over the past few years, it’s easier to appreciate the effort from organizers to maintain improvements.

The following tables break down prize money by round since 2001 for men and women. You can scroll left to right to view the entire data set.

For comparison, I’ve converted AUS dollars to US Dollars and Sterling pounds, which I calculate using the prior year’s exchange rate on the day of the final for a close approximation of value.

Men & Women Singles

AUS Dollar

Round	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
Winner	$2,975,000	$2,875,000	$2,750,000	$4,120,000	$4,100,000	$4,000,000	$3,700,000	$3,400,000	$3,100,000	$2,650,000	$2,430,000	$2,300,000	$2,200,000
Runner-up	$1,625,000	$1,575,000	$1,500,000	$2,065,000	$2,050,000	$2,000,000	$1,900,000	$1,700,000	$1,550,000	$1,325,000	$1,215,000	$1,150,000	$1,100,000
Semifinal	$925,000	$895,000	$850,000	$1,040,000	$920,000	$880,000	$900,000	$750,000	$650,000	$540,000	$500,000	$437,000	$420,000
Quarterfinal	$555,250	$538,500	$525,000	$525,000	$460,000	$440,000	$440,000	$375,000	$340,000	$270,000	$250,000	$218,500	$210,000
Round 4	$338,250	$328,000	$320,000	$300,000	$260,000	$240,000	$220,000	$193,000	$175,000	$135,000	$125,000	$109,250	$93,000
Round 3	$227,925	$221,000	$215,000	$180,000	$155,000	$142,500	$130,000	$108,000	$97,500	$75,000	$71,000	$54,625	$54,500
Round 2	$158,850	$154,000	$150,000	$128,000	$105,000	$90,000	$80,000	$67,000	$60,000	$50,000	$45,500	$33,300	$32,000
Round 1	$106,250	$103,000	$100,000	$90,000	$75,000	$60,000	$50,000	$38,500	$34,500	$30,000	$27,600	$20,000	$20,000

US Dollar

Please note that all historical data for US Open prize money in British sterling pounds considers exchange rates on the day of the final for the years listed.

Round	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
Winner	$1,998,278	$2,071,064	$2,138,125	$2,757,624	$2,943,816	$3,245,202	$2,794,575	$2,402,475	$2,411,800	$2,304,971	$2,530,067	$2,446,050	$2,339,700
Runner-up	$1,091,496	$1,134,583	$1,166,250	$1,382,158	$1,471,908	$1,622,601	$1,435,052	$1,201,238	$1,205,900	$1,152,486	$1,265,034	$1,223,025	$1,169,850
Semifinal	$621,313	$644,731	$660,875	$696,099	$660,564	$713,944	$679,761	$529,958	$505,700	$469,692	$520,590	$464,750	$446,670
Quarterfinal	$372,956	$387,919	$408,188	$351,396	$330,282	$356,972	$332,328	$264,979	$264,520	$234,846	$260,295	$232,375	$223,335
Round 4	$227,199	$236,281	$248,800	$200,798	$186,681	$194,712	$166,164	$136,376	$136,150	$117,423	$130,148	$116,187	$98,906
Round 3	$153,095	$159,202	$167,163	$120,479	$111,291	$115,610	$98,188	$76,314	$75,855	$65,235	$73,924	$58,094	$57,961
Round 2	$106,698	$110,937	$116,625	$85,674	$75,390	$73,017	$60,423	$47,343	$46,680	$43,490	$47,374	$35,415	$34,032
Round 1	$71,367	$74,198	$77,750	$60,239	$53,850	$48,678	$37,765	$27,205	$26,841	$26,094	$28,737	$21,270	$21,270

Sterling Pound

Please note that all historical data for US Open prize money in euros considers exchange rates on the day of the final for the years listed.

Round	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
Winner	£1,570,012	£1,602,037	£1,396,425	£2,092,098	£2,231,232	£2,294,446	£2,219,822	£1,687,002	£1,599,257	£1,398,122	£1,461,566	£1,556,789	£1,489,102
Runner-up	£857,570	£877,638	£761,686	£1,048,588	£1,115,616	£1,147,223	£1,139,909	£843,501	£799,629	£699,061	£730,783	£778,394	£744,551
Semifinal	£488,155	£498,721	£431,622	£528,102	£500,667	£504,778	£539,957	£372,133	£335,328	£284,900	£300,734	£295,790	£284,283
Quarterfinal	£293,025	£300,069	£266,590	£266,590	£250,333	£246,202	£263,979	£186,066	£175,402	£142,450	£150,367	£147,895	£142,142
Round 4	£178,506	£182,772	£162,493	£152,337	£141,493	£137,667	£131,989	£95,762	£90,281	£71,225	£75,183	£73,947	£62,948
Round 3	£120,284	£123,148	£109,175	£91,402	£84,351	£81,740	£77,994	£53,587	£50,299	£39,569	£42,704	£36,974	£36,889
Round 2	£83,831	£85,813	£76,169	£64,997	£57,141	£51,625	£47,996	£33,244	£30,953	£26,380	£27,367	£22,540	£21,660
Round 1	£56,072	£57,395	£50,779	£45,701	£40,815	£34,417	£29,998	£19,103	£17,798	£15,828	£16,601	£13,537	£13,537

Singles Qualifying

These figures are not yet released for 2022.

Round	US Dollars	AUS Dollars	Sterling Pound
Q3	$37,044	$55,150	£29,105
Q2	$24,567	$36,575	£19,302
Q1	$17,464	$26,000	£13,721

Men & Women Doubles (Per Pair)

Round	US Dollars	AUS Dollars	Sterling Pound
Winner	$466,748	$695,000	£388,191
Runner-up	$248,485	$370,000	£206,663
Semifinal	$141,032	$210,000	£117,295
Quarterfinal	$78,239	$116,500	£65,071
Round 3	$45,164	$67,250	£37,562
Round 2	$31,228	$46,500	£25,973
Round 1	$20,802	$30,975	£17,301

Mixed Doubles (Per Pair)

These figures are not yet released for 2022.

Round	US Dollars	AUS Dollars	Sterling Pound
Winner	$105,984	$157,750	£88,116
Runner-up	$60,097	$89,450	£49,965
Semifinal	$31,913	$47,500	£26,533
Quarterfinal	$16,964	$25,250	£14,104
Round 2	$8,499	$12,650	£7,066
Round 1	$4,434	$6,600	£3,687

Prize Money by Year

Here’s a recap of historical data for Australian Open prize money by year, with a graph helping visualize growth over time.

Year	Total Prize Money	% Change
2023	$76,500,000	3.38%
2022	$74,000,000	3.50%
2021	$71,500,000	0.70%
2020	$71,000,000	13.60%
2019	$62,500,000	13.64%
2018	$55,000,000	10.00%
2017	$50,000,000	13.64%
2016	$44,000,000	10.00%
2015	$40,000,000	21.21%
2014	$33,000,000	10.00%
2013	$30,000,000	15.38%
2012	$26,000,000	3.98%
2011	$25,005,635	3.78%
2010	$24,094,000	4.12%
2009	$23,140,000	12.33%
2008	$20,600,000	3.00%
2007	$20,000,000	3.63%
2006	$19,300,000	1.05%
2005	$19,100,000	0.53%
2004	$19,000,000	4.51%
2003	$18,180,000	10.18%
2002	$16,500,000	19.07%
2001	$13,857,625	–

Please note that all data is in AUS dollars.

FAQs

Australian Open prize money is always a hot topic, so it’s common for fans to have several questions relating to the subject. Here are some of the most common we hear.

Is Australian Open prize money taxed?

Yes. The local government taxes player earnings for tennis tournaments. Therefore, for the Australian Open, players are taxed at the current Australian tax rate, ranging from 0-45%, depending on a player’s earnings.

It’s worth noting that players usually will not pay taxes on their prize money to their local government due to Double Tax Treaties that typically exist to prevent double taxation.

Do junior Australian Open players win prize money?

No. Australian Open junior tournaments are amateur events, so participants do not earn prize money. However, they do earn ranking points for their participation.

Do Australian Open qualifiers earn prize money?

Yes, in 2023, the US Open is allocating $7,433,600 in prize money to the singles qualifying tournament. In singles, 128 players compete for one of 16 available qualifying spots.

If players lose in any qualifying round, they earn money, which increases the further a player progresses. For example, this year, a player who loses in the final round of the qualifying tournament earns $55,150.

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