Aussie Open Prize Boost Pleases Players

Tennis players have welcomed the news that prize money for the Australian Open will rise by Aus$4m (£2.53m), but Novak Djokovic was warned that the fight for a greater share of revenues is not over, as lower-ranked players continue to struggle paying their own way.

The issue is the pay of lower-ranked players, who often exit in the first round after making the long journey Down Under.

While this year they pocketed Aus$20,800 (£13,177) for a first-round defeat at the Australian Open, some players struggle to make ends meet during the year as they pay for much of their own expenses and travel.

Without a high profile, they are also unable to score lucrative sponsorship deals that could help sustain their careers.

The world No 2 from Serbia described an announcement by the organisers of January’s Grand Slam that the purse would increase to a record Aus$30m (£19m) as positive, and urged the other three of tennis’s major titles to follow suit.

Australian Open director Craig Tiley added that the prize money break-up would be determined after he meets ATP players’ council representatives including Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray in Shanghai this weekend, but said the increases would be weighted towards those who lose in the early rounds.