How much do players participating at the Australian Open earn? Get all the information about the Australian Open prize money for all rounds of every event including singles, doubles and mixed doubles among others below.
Please Note: You can also check the prize money details for French Open here, Wimbledon here and US Open here.
Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar and it takes place in Melbourne in the last fortnight of January of each year. The tournament was found back in 1905 and has been a Grand Slam since the inception of the Grand Slams in 1924.
Till 1987, the tournament was played on the grass court before switching to the hard courts.
It features men’s and women’s singles plus doubles event along with a mixed doubles category. It has a wheelchair, juniors, legends and exhibition categories as well.
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When did the Australian Open First Award Players any Prize Money?
Professional players were not allowed to play in the Grand Slams till 1968.
Since the start of the open era, 1969, the Australian Open started giving out prize money to its contestants. Back in 1969, the Australian Open was played in Brisbane and the prize money was 26,000 AUD for men’s and 7,500 for women’s categories.
Issues with the Australian Open Prize Money
Historically, the Australian Open has been the Grand Slam that has had the lowest prize money amongst all the Grand Slams.
Unlike Wimbledon & the Roland Garros, it has also not always been held at the same venue. Apart from Melbourne, the event has been held at Sydney (17 times), Brisbane (7 times), Perth (3 times) and even in two cities of New Zealand, Christchurch in 1906 & Hastings in 1912.
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In fact, in the 1970 edition, the prize money was dropped massively to AUD 12,000 & 2,000 for men’s & women’s respectively. So much so, until 1982, most of the big names in the world of tennis avoided the Australian Open due to the low prize money and its remote location.
When did the Australian Open Start Giving Equal Prize Money to Both Men’s and Women’s Champions?
Despite the improvements, the tournament was not paying equal prize money to men’s and women’s categories till 2001. But from 2001 onward, several reforms were undertaken with regards to the prize money paid.
In the 13 years from 2007 to 2020, the total prize money of the event has more than tripled from AUD 20 million to AUD 71 million. Between 2019 and 2020, the percentage increase in the overall prize money was nearly 14%.
A special focus has also been kept on making sure that players who are competing in the early rounds of the tournament are given a bigger slice of the cake.
Reforms in the Australian Open Prize Money
The Australian Open is often called as the Grand Slam of the Asia/Pacific. And for many players from the Asia and Oceania region, a main draw appearance at the Australian Open is the biggest paycheck they would receive in their calendar year.
From what used to be the lowest-paying Grand Slam in the year, the Australian Open now pays the highest amount to players who lose in the first round of the main draw.
According to the 2022 prize money paid out, a first-round loser in the single’s category would take him approximated USD 70,000 which is at present higher than every other Grand Slam.
At present, the winner of the singles categories takes home approximately AUD 2.875 million which is only second to the US Open where the winner bags USD 3.8 million.
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Players losing in the first singles qualifying round at the Australian Open are paid AUD 25,250 while those making it to the main draw and losing their first-round match get paid AUD 103,000.
The winner and runner-up of the singles events are awarded AUD 2.875 million and AUD 1.575 million respectively.
| Singles Men's/Women's (2020) | Prize Money AUD | Prize Money USD |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 25,250 | 17,200 |
| Q2 | 35,500 | 24,190 |
| Q3 | 53,500 | 36,400 |
| Round 1 | 103,000 | 70,000 |
| Round 2 | 154,000 | 105,000 |
| Round 3 | 221,000 | 150,000 |
| Round 4 | 328,000 | 223,000 |
| Quarter-Final | 538,500 | 367,000 |
| Semi-Final | 895,000 | 610,000 |
| Runner Up | 1,575,000 | 1,070,000 |
| Winner | 2,875,000 | 1,950,000 |
First-round losing teams at the Australian Open doubles are paid AUD 30,050, while the winner and runner-up of the men’s and women’s doubles events earn AUD 675,000 and AUD 360,000 respectively. Mixed doubles teams earn AUD 1,90,000 for winning the competition.
| Men's & Women's Doubles (Per Team) | Prize Money AUD | Prize Money USD |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 30,050 | 20,400 |
| Round 2 | 45,100 | 30,700 |
| Round 3 | 65,250 | 44,500 |
| Quarter-Final | 113,000 | 77,000 |
| Semi-Final | 205,000 | 140,000 |
| Runner Up | 360,000 | 245,000 |
| Winner | 675,000 | 460,000 |
The mixed doubles competition at the Australian Open has the first round losers earn AUD 6,250 while the losing quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalist take home AUD 24,000, AUD 50,000 and AUD 100,000 respectively. The winner of the mixed doubles competition earns AUD 190,000.
| Mixed Doubles (Per Team) | Prize Money AUD | Prize Money USD |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 6,250 | 4,260 |
| Round 2 | 12,000 | 8,180 |
| Quarter-Final | 24,000 | 16,360 |
| Semi-Final | 50,000 | 34,600 |
| Runner Up | 100,000 | 69,200 |
| Winner | 190,000 | 130,000 |
What Trophies do Australian Open Winners Also Get?
The men’s singles champion takes home the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup while the corresponding trophy for the women’s singles title winner is the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.