US Open prize money revealed as record amount on offer for ATP and WTA winners

The US Open will offer the biggest prize fund in Grand Slam history, as the top stars in ATP and WTA tennis battle it out in the final major of the year.

Once the Cincinnati Open concludes, attention will turn to the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, with the main draw of men's and women's singles starting on August 30.

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka are the reigning US Open champions, with the duo claiming their second titles at the hard-court major last year.

Having missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon with a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April, there were doubts about Alcaraz's involvement at Flushing Meadows.

But on Thursday, the Spaniard put those worries to bed by confirming his return from injury at the US Open as he aims to lift his second Grand Slam of the year after winning the Australian Open in February.

Alcaraz is one of the favourites to win the tournament alongside world No.1 Jannik Sinner, although his inclusion is under threat after missing the Cincinnati Masters with a knee injury.

Despite falling at the last 16 of the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka is also confident about her chances of retaining her title, and the ATP world No.1 will be competing for more millions on the biggest stage.

US Open prize money breakdown

The stakes are literally bigger than ever at the US Open, as they're offering the biggest prize fund in Grand Slam history.

A total of $108m (£79.2m) is up for grabs, marking a 20 per cent increase on last year, with the singles champions receiving $5.5m (£4.03m) each.

While the winners get a 10% increase on 2025, the first-round losers will also take home $140,000 (£102,667), $30,000 (27%) more than last year.

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Crucially, the prize pool includes a $2m (£1.47m) contribution to a welfare fund, which the leading players have been demanding from all Grand Slams.

US Open singles prize money (men & women)

Champion - $5,500,000

Finalist - $2,800,000

Semi-finalist - $1,450,000

Quarter-finalist - $780,000

Round of 16 - $480,000

Round of 32 - $290,000

Round of 64 - $190,000

Round of 128 - $140,000

A record-breaking total of prize money gives players the added incentive to progress as far as possible, but how does it compare to the other Grand Slams across 2026?

At the Australian Open, Elyna Rybakina and Alcaraz took home $4.15m (US $2.79m, £2.07m) for winning the tournament, which offered a total prize pool of $111.5m (US $74.9m & £57.5m).

The French Open, meanwhile, gave winners Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva €2.8m (£2.3m), with €61.7m (£53.7m) on offer — the lowest of all four Grand Slams.

Finally, £64.2m in prize money was allocated to Wimbledon, arguably the biggest tournament in world tennis, with champions Sinner and Linda Noskova taking home a whopping £3.6m.

As the sport continues to grow rapidly, expect these figures to get even higher in years to come.