The USTA yesterday announced that the total purse for the '14 U.S. Open will increase by $4M, an 11.7% increase from the '13 tournament, which brings the total prize money to a record $38.3M. Both the men's and women's singles champions will earn $3M, a record for the tournament. Each round of the singles competition will see double-digit percentage increases over last year's record payouts. Men's and women's doubles champions will earn $520,000, another U.S. Open record (USTA). In N.Y., Lynn Zinser notes the increase "reflects a push by the players to raise compensation across the board because of the large expenses involved in playing in a Grand Slam event." This year, a singles player who "loses in the first round will earn $35,750 (compared with $32,000 last year) and a second-round loser will earn $60,420 (compared with $53,000)." USTA officials said that every round "has a double-digit percentage increase in prize money." All of the Grand Slam tournaments have "made similar increases, with Wimbledon making the biggest increases in the past two years" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/10).
