Open Prizemoney Lifted To $23m, Thanks To Weak Dollar
Sun Herald
Sunday January 11, 2009
THE sagging exchange rate has prompted Tennis Australia to raise the prizemoney for the four singles finalists at this month's Australian Open - to $2 million for each winner and $1 million for each runner-up. This lifts the overall purse by $1.14 million despite the harsh economic times.
A record $23.14 million - up from $20.6 million last year, when the singles champions received $1.37 million - will now be distributed among the 356 main-draw competitors during the event, which starts tomorrow week. In October, the prizemoney for singles winners was lifted to $1.62 million out of a total of $22 million, with the caveat that the health of the Australian dollar would be monitored. "We are delighted to be in a position to be able to announce this increase," Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood said. "This is an investment in the major revenue source for our sport in this country."We believe that $2 million is an appropriate reward for winning the biggest sporting event in the world in January. This is a serious statement of our intent. We want to continue to grow our event in partnership with the players."
© 2009 Sun Herald