The US Open 2026 is still a few days away, but this edition of the tournament has already made history: for the first time, the prize money will exceed $100 million. To be precise, it will be $101 million, a 19 per cent increase on the $85 million distributed to players at last year’s tournament, making it the largest prize pool ever guaranteed by a tennis tournament. According to The Athletic, the decision is also intended to head off the protests seen at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, when players complained about an unfair split of revenues. Since then, the Paris tournament has announced that, from 2026, it will offer players a more favourable arrangement.
At the US Open, the $101 million announced for the 2026 edition represents 18 per cent of the tournament’s operating revenue, at least according to the 2024 figures, when it brought in $559 million. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has also committed to three of the players’ demands on remuneration: pension contributions, a Grand Slam players’ council and a prize-money formula tied to revenue. USTA president Craig Tiley met with a group of players at the Cincinnati Open and said the organisation had agreed to all three, according to The Athletic, which cited “a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity”.
“This is a significant first step in a multi-year investment in athletes, as the US Open continues to represent the best economic opportunity for players and the most valuable platform in tennis for players, fans and partners,” Tiley said in an official statement. “We are proud to offer record prize money and expanded player benefits, while also providing a new platform to collaborate with them.” The players responded too. Ben Shelton, the world No. 6, spoke on their behalf in a statement saying that “this measure was part of what we were asking for, and I’m really happy to see this council taking shape. It gives us, as players, a real opportunity to make our voices heard, contribute to the discussion and help shape the tournaments beyond what happens on court”.
The council will focus mainly on “sporting matters” concerning the Grand Slam tournaments as a whole. Through it, players will be able to raise issues around the distribution of revenues, although those will be handled separately by each Grand Slam tournament – which, it is worth remembering, are organised through a kind of consortium independent of the ATP. The US Open has also set aside $2 million – $1 million for each tour – for a new player-support programme. Adding the $5 million in allowances, the total commitment comes to $108 million. That has also helped avert a possible boycott of the mixed doubles tournament, which last year proved a major success and capped the tournament’s “Fan Week” at Flushing Meadows.
In any case, the expectation is that the US Open will generate considerably higher revenues. Arthur Ashe Stadium, the centrepiece of the complex, has been renovated at a total cost of $800 million, while prices have gone up across every category. As for prize money, the singles champions will receive $5.5 million, just over twice as much as the losing finalists. The winners of the doubles and mixed doubles events will receive $1 million, while players who lose in the first round will take home $140,000 for a single match. Not bad.