The US Open 2026 will set a new financial record by becoming the first Grand Slam of the season to surpass the $100 million prize money mark. The New York tournament will distribute a total of $108 million, 20% more than the $90 million awarded in 2025. The increase comes in an especially anticipated edition due to the return of Carlos Alcaraz, who will make his comeback in New York after being sidelined for more than four months with an injury.
The figure also changes the financial scale of the tournament’s final rounds. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $5.5 million, more than the $5 million earned by Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka for winning the 2025 edition. The finalists will take home $2.8 million, while the semifinalists and quarterfinalists will receive $1.45 million and $780,000, respectively. There is also an increase in the early stages: players who qualify for the main singles draw will be guaranteed $140,000, while those competing in the qualifying rounds will receive $32,000.
The US Open increases prize money as pressure from players grows
The increase in prize money takes on greater significance given the current state of professional tennis. The US Open was the first Grand Slam to establish equal prize money distribution between the men’s and women’s draws, a policy it maintains in this edition while increasing the amount allocated to participants. However, the current debate among players is not solely about how much the champions receive, but rather what proportion of the revenue generated by major tournaments reaches the wider circuit.
The discussion intensified in 2026 after Roland Garros announced a 9.5% increase in its prize money, reaching €61.7 million, equivalent to around $72 million. Despite the increase, that amount represented approximately 14% of the tournament’s revenue, below the 15% that players are demanding from all four Grand Slams. The comparison becomes particularly relevant when looking at revenue distribution within the ATP and the WTA, where the percentage going directly to players reaches 22%.
The prize money debate focuses on players outside the top 150
Tensions between players and the Grand Slams even led to the possibility of a boycott of the four major tournaments: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Ultimately, players opted for other forms of protest, including limiting their media appearances to 15 minutes. Wimbledon also increased its prize pool by 20%, reaching €74.3 million, equivalent to $86.8 million, but the increase still fell short of players’ expectations as it represented 14.2% of the tournament’s revenue.
At the heart of this dispute are the financial conditions faced by players outside the elite. Leading male and female players have stressed that the debate is not about increasing the earnings of those who already receive substantial prize money, but about improving the situation of those ranked outside the top 150 who still struggle to make a living exclusively from tennis. In this context, the US Open’s increase to $108 million once again puts the distribution of Grand Slam revenue at the center of the conversation between players and tournament organizers.
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