The winners of the men’s and women’s singles titles at Wimbledon in 2012 will each take home roughly $1.8 million in prize money. A very nice sum of money, but how does the Wimbledon prize money compare to the prize money tennis players can earn at the other three Grand Slam tennis events?
This is the prize money that tennis players have already earned, or can earn, in 2012 at the Grand Slam events. For the U.S. Open, the 2012 prize money has not yet been announced, so I’m using 2011 figures. I’m listing prize money players already have earned, or can earn, for winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at each event.
All figures listed below are in dollars converted from British pounds for Wimbledon, Australian dollars for the Australian Open, and euros for the French Open, which is also known as Roland Garros.
Wimbledon Prize Money Compared to Other Grand Slam Tennis Events in 2012
Men’s and Women’s Singles Winners
Wimbledon – $1.8 million
Australian Open – $2.36 million
French Open – $1.6 million
U.S. Open – $1.8 million
By far, the Australian Open offers the largest amount of prize money for the winners of the men’s and women’s singles titles in 2012. The amount players won at Roland Garros (the French Open) in 2012 was adversely affected by the drop in the Euro.
The figure listed above for the U.S. Open is the prize money offered in 2011. It’s very likely the U.S. Open will increase the prize money this year, so the U.S. Open will probably offer the second highest total prize money in the singles events.
Men’s and Women’s Doubles Winners
Wimbledon – $407,212 (money shown is per pair for each event)
Australian Open – $466,680
French Open – $420,818
U.S. Open – $420,000
Once again, the Australian Open offers the most prize money for doubles players in 2012. The U.S. Open has not yet announced its purse structure for 2012, so it’s possible the U.S. Open could offer a higher prize in doubles play than the Australian Open in 2012.
Mixed Doubles Winners
Wimbledon – $144,090 (money shown is per pair for each event)
Australian Open – $139,131
French Open – $123,770
U.S. Open – $150,000
The prize money that the 2011 U.S. Open paid out for mixed doubles is already ahead of what the other three Grand Slam events offered in 2012. So unless the U.S. Open cuts its purse money for mixed doubles play, it will once again offer the most for that event in 2012.
Joe Dorish has been playing and watching tennis since he was a kid in the 1970s. He’s watched every men’s and women’s singles final at Wimbledon since that time.
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 4]