Total purse at US Open to touch $50m by 2017
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, March 21, 2013
After a year of closed-door meetings with tennis players seeking a greater say in the sport and a larger slice of grand slam revenues, the US Open is ready to make big changes.
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Prize money for U.S. Open champions will increase significantly in upcoming years. |
The New York-based tournament plans to increase its annual prize money to US$50 million by 2017 - roughly double what it was last year - and permanently schedule the men's semifinals on Friday and men's final on a Sunday as of 2015, it was learned.
"Roger Federer said it perhaps best of all: It's time for us to work together, as opposed to working against each other," US Tennis Association Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Gordon Smith said by phone.
As part of an unprecedented five-year agreement with the men's and women's tours, the USTA also is making an additional US$4.1 million increase to this year's prize pool, on top of a US$4 million jump announced in December. That brings the 2013 total payout to US$33.6 million from the US$25.5 million in 2012.
Federer, the 17-time major champion, is president of the ATP Player Council. He is not playing in the tournament that begins this week at Key Biscayne, but participated in Tuesday's meeting via telephone.
Aside from wanting more money, some male players complained the US Open had been the sport's only grand slam tournament with their semifinals and final on consecutive days. The USTA liked its old "Super Saturday" setup - two men's semifinals and the women's final all on that day's schedule at Flushing Meadows, followed by the men's final on Sunday - but tournament director David Brewer acknowledged it was time to scrap it.
"We realize the game has changed and how they play the game is different even than it was 10 years ago," Brewer said.
In December, the USTA said it would move the 2013 women's singles final to Sunday and the men's final to Monday, moving from a 14-day event to 15 days. Brewer said that schedule will remain in place in 2014, but the US Open will shift things in 2015: women's semis on Thursday, men's semis on Friday, women's final on Saturday, men's final on Sunday.
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