MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Early round losers at the Australian Open will receive a significant pay raise as part of what tournament organizers say is the biggest purse in tennis history.
Responding to player demands for a bigger slice of the prize money, Tennis Australia moved to avert a potential boycott of the opening Grand Slam of the year.
The 2013 singles champions at Melbourne Park in January each will collect 2.43 million in Australian dollars ($2.55 million) from a record total purse of nearly AU$31 million. First-round losers will receive AU$27,600, a 32.7 percent increase from 2012, second-round losers will get AU$45,500 (up 36.6 percent) and third-round losers will receive AU$71,000 (up 30 percent).
Prize money for the fourth round, quarterfinals and semifinals has gone up by an average of more than 14 percent.
