Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed early round losers will receive extra prize money
Last Updated: December 20, 2012 7:57am
Novak Djokovic celebrates Australian Open victory in the 2012 Men's Final
Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed early round losers at January's tournament will receive a significant pay rise.
Organizers of the Australian Open have revealed early round losers at January's tournament will receive a significant pay rise as part of what will be the biggest purse in tennis history.
Responding to player demands for a bigger slice of prize money, Tennis Australia has moved to avert a potential boycott of the opening Grand Slam of the year.
The 2013 singles champions at Melbourne Park will each collect $2.43m, while players exiting the opening three rounds will also receive considerable prize money increases.
First-round losers will receive $27,600, second-round losers will get $45,500 and third-round losers will receive $71,000.
"Our motivation is to make a major contribution toward helping ensure professional tennis players can make a decent living," tournament director Craig Tiley said.
"It is a real issue and needs to be urgently addressed throughout the sport."
