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Australian Open prize pool jumps to $49 million, biggest gains for early rounds

Australian Open prize pool jumps to $49 million, biggest gains for early rounds

Usual start to 2020

Theprizepoolfor the 2020AustralianOpenhas been boosted by 14 per centto A$71million($49.1million), organisers said on Tuesday, with thebiggestgainsfor players exiting in theearlyrounds.

Players losing in the first round of qualifying at the year's first Grand Slam will take home A$20,000, up by a third from last year, while singles players who exit in the first round of the main draw will earn A$90,000, a jump of 20 per cent.

Before the start of the 2018AustralianOpen, Serb champion Novak Djokovic had to distance himself from media reports that he had pushed for a revolt over the way revenues from the four Grand Slams were distributed to help reward a larger group of players.

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"We have long been committed to improving the pay and conditions for a deeperpoolof international tennis players," tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement, noting that overallprizemoney has more than tripled since 2007.

"This year, we pushed to reward players competingearlyin the tournament in both singles and doubles."

The 2020 women's and men's singles champions will receive smaller increases inprizemoney, with both winners taking home A$4.12million, up $20,000.

Players can usually secure a main draw appearance in the tournament, which starts on January20, by having a ranking in the top 100.

Naomi Osaka of Japan is the reigning women's singles champion at theAustralianOpenwhile Djokovic claimed a record seventh title by defeating great rival Rafa Nadal in the 2019 final.

In a report published last year, an International Review Panel commissioned to address betting-related and other integrity issues said that players in the lowest tiers were susceptible to being corrupted because of the difficulty of making a living, with only 250-350 players earning enough money to break even.

The International Tennis Federation last week announced a series of measures as part of its fight against corruption in the sport's lower levels.