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Honestly, if you thought tennis was already a "rich" sport, the USTA just decided to hold its own beer. The numbers for the US Open 2025 prize money are out, and they aren't just big. They're record-shattering. We are talking about a total player compensation pool that hit $90 million for the first time in history.
That is a massive 20% jump from the $75 million we saw in 2024. For those of us who follow the grind of the tour, this isn't just about the stars at the top getting another private jet. It's a fundamental shift in how the sport's biggest stage values every single person who steps on the court, from the qualifiers to the icons.
The $5 Million Payday: A New Peak for Singles
The biggest headline? The champions. Both the men’s and women’s singles winners at the 2025 US Open walked away with a check for $5,000,000.
Just think about that for a second. In 2024, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka took home $3.6 million. That’s a 39% raise in a single year. It makes the US Open the highest-paying event in the entire sport, comfortably cruising past the payouts at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Even the runner-up now pockets $2.5 million, which is more than some Grand Slam winners used to make just a few years ago.
Singles Main Draw Breakdown
If you're curious about how the rest of the bracket looks, the USTA didn't leave the "early" losers behind. In fact, they made a point of ensuring double-digit increases across the board.
- Winner: $5,000,000
- Runner-Up: $2,500,000
- Semifinalists: $1,260,000
- Quarterfinalists: $660,000
- Round of 16: $400,000
- Round of 32: $237,000
- Round of 64: $154,000
- Round of 128 (First Round): $110,000
Basically, just making the main draw now guarantees you a six-figure payday. For a player ranked 100th in the world, that $110,000 covers a huge chunk of their yearly travel, coaching, and physio costs. It’s a career-saver for many.
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Why Mixed Doubles is Suddenly a Big Deal
One of the weirdest—and honestly coolest—changes in 2025 was how they handled mixed doubles. For years, mixed doubles felt like a side show, something stars did for fun or extra practice. Not anymore.
The USTA moved the mixed doubles format to the "Fan Week" at the start of the tournament and put a $1 million winner's prize on the table. Yes, a million bucks for the winning team. This led to teams like Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud actually jumping into the mix. When Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori ended up winning it, they didn't just get a trophy; they got a life-changing payout for a format that used to pay a fraction of that.
Supporting the "Little Guys" in Qualifying
Tennis has a notorious "wealth gap." If you aren't in the top 50, you're often breaking even or losing money to stay on tour. The US Open 2025 prize money sought to fix this by pumping $8 million into the qualifying tournament alone.
If a player loses in the very first round of qualifying—meaning they never even see the main draw—they still leave New York with $27,500.
- Final round of Qualifying: $57,200
- Second round of Qualifying: $41,800
- First round of Qualifying: $27,500
It sounds like a lot, but remember: these players have to pay for their own coaches, flights, and meals. To help with that, the USTA also added a $1,000 travel stipend for all players and covers two hotel rooms per player. If they stay somewhere else? They get $600 a day in cash. They even get free racquet stringing—up to five racquets per round. It’s these "hidden" perks that actually keep the lower-ranked pros in the game.
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The Drama Behind the Dollars
This $90 million purse didn't happen because the USTA felt like being extra generous. It was the result of some pretty intense pressure.
Top players have been vocal—and I mean very vocal—about the fact that Grand Slams generate billions in revenue while only a small percentage goes back to the athletes. There was a letter sent to the organizers of all four majors demanding a "substantial increase" in compensation. The US Open was the first to really blink and deliver this level of a jump.
It’s also worth noting the schedule change. In 2025, the tournament expanded to 15 days, starting the main draw on a Sunday for the first time ever. More days means more tickets sold, more $39 "Honey Deuce" cocktails consumed, and more TV revenue. That extra money has to go somewhere, and the players finally got their cut.
Putting the 2025 Payouts in Perspective
To see how far we've come, look at the history. Back in 2015, the total prize money was around $42 million. In ten years, it has more than doubled.
While the "Big Three" era of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic brought in the global eyeballs, the new era led by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is reaping the financial rewards. When Alcaraz beat Sinner in that epic 2024 final (6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4), he wasn't just cementing his legacy; he was claiming a seat at the richest table in tennis history.
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Doubles Teams Get a Boost Too
Doubles often gets ignored in these breakdowns, but the 2025 increases were solid there too. The winning men's and women's doubles teams now split $1,000,000.
- Winners: $1,000,000
- Finalists: $500,000
- Semifinalists: $250,000
- Quarterfinalists: $125,000
It’s still significantly less than singles, which many doubles specialists argue is unfair given they play the same amount of sets, but a million-dollar top prize is a major milestone for the discipline.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Pros
If you are following the money at the US Open, here is what this actually means for the sport moving forward:
- Watch the Qualifiers: The level of play in the qualifying rounds is skyrocketing because the financial stakes are so high. These aren't "minor league" matches anymore; they are high-pressure battles for a $27k+ payday.
- Expect More Stars in Mixed Doubles: With $1 million on the line, expect more top-10 singles players to enter the mixed draw in future years. It’s no longer a "side" event.
- The "Slam" Race is Now a Money Race: The US Open has set the bar. Watch for Wimbledon and the French Open to hike their 2026 purses to keep pace. No major wants to be known as the "cheap" Grand Slam.
The US Open 2025 prize money has officially reset the economy of professional tennis. Whether it's the $5 million for the stars or the $27k for the grinders, the message is clear: New York is where the money is.