Tennis

Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka have capped off an extraordinary week at the WTA Finals with significant financial milestones. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, has surpassed $20 million in career prize money, while Sabalenka, the year-end world No. 1, has broken the $30 million barrier.Gauff's record-setting winner's cheque of $4,805,000 at the WTA Finals propelled her past the $20 million mark. The 20-year-old American is the fourth tennis player born in the 2000s to reach this milestone, and the first born in 2004 or later.Sabalenka, meanwhile, reached the semifinals of the WTA Finals, earning $1,035,000 and pushing her career prize money to $30,106,823. She joins an elite group of just 10 women in WTA history to surpass $30 million.Gauff's achievement is particularly notable as she is the first player born in 2004 or later to reach $20 million in career prize money. It underscores her rapid rise in the sport and her potential for continued success.Sabalenka's milestone is a testament to her consistency and dominance at the highest level. She has won 11 WTA titles, including two Grand Slams, and has been ranked No. 1 in the world for the past 10 weeks.Both Gauff and Sabalenka have enjoyed a remarkable 2023 season. Gauff won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open, while Sabalenka secured the year-end No. 1 ranking and won the Australian Open. Their financial milestones are a fitting reward for their hard work and dedication.

The US Open, the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, is set to offer a record-breaking $75 million in compensation to players, a significant increase of 15% from the previous year. This substantial purse surpasses the prize money offered by other major tennis championships, including Wimbledon, the French Open, and the Australian Open.The winners of the men's and women's singles titles will each receive a staggering $3.6 million, a 20% increase from last year's $3 million. However, this amount still falls short of the pre-pandemic payout of $3.85 million awarded to the 2019 champions.The total compensation includes expenses for players, and every round of the main draw and qualifying has seen an increase. First-round losers in the 128-person brackets for women's and men's singles will receive $100,000 each, a significant jump from $81,500 in 2023 and $58,000 in 2019.Doubles champions will also benefit from the increased prize money, with each team receiving $750,000, up from $700,000 last year.The US Open's commitment to player compensation reflects the tournament's status as one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in tennis. The increased prize money is expected to attract top players and enhance the overall quality of the competition.Play in the main draws for singles begins on August 26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and concludes with the women's final on September 7 and the men's final on September 8.

Tennis Stars Opt for Points and Prize Money over Olympic GloryIn a surprising turn of events, several top tennis players have chosen to skip the upcoming Olympic Games in favor of competing in a lower-tier tournament in Washington, D.C. This decision has sparked debate within the tennis community, with some questioning the players' priorities.The Mubadala Citi DC Open, an ATP/WTA 500 hard-court tournament, will offer a significant amount of rankings points and prize money to its participants. This has enticed players such as Grigor Dimitrov, Aryna Sabalenka, Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda, Frances Tiafoe, and Madison Keys to prioritize the event over the Olympics.These players have all qualified for the Olympics but have opted to withdraw, citing the lack of rankings points and prize money as their primary reasons. The Olympics, unlike other major tournaments, do not offer any financial incentives or points towards the world rankings.This decision has drawn criticism from some quarters, who argue that the Olympics represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement and should be prioritized over personal gain. However, the players who have chosen to skip the Games maintain that their decision is based on their individual goals and aspirations."I would never choose to play a 500 event over the Olympics," said defending Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev. "There are no thoughts on that."Despite the controversy, the players' decision has also had a positive impact on lower-ranked players. Marcos Giron, Chris Eubanks, and Emma Navarro have all benefited from the withdrawals, as they have been given the opportunity to compete in the Olympics due to qualification rules that limit the number of players from each nation.Ultimately, the decision of whether to prioritize the Olympics or other tournaments is a personal one for each player. While some may view the Games as the ultimate honor, others may prioritize their own financial and ranking goals.

Wimbledon's total prize money fund has witnessed a significant increase, reaching a record-breaking 50 million pounds (approximately $64 million). This represents a 5.3 million pound ($6.8 million) increase from last year, marking an impressive 11.9% growth. Notably, this amount is double the 25 million pounds ($32 million) awarded to competitors at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament a decade ago.The winners of the men's and women's singles titles will each receive a substantial 2.7 million pounds ($3.45 million), a jump of 350,000 pounds ($450,000) or 14.9% from the previous year. Players who lose in the first round of singles will also see an increase in their prize money, with each receiving 60,000 pounds (about $76,000), up from 55,000 pounds ($70,000) in 2023.The prize money for the qualifying event has also been boosted by 14.9%, reaching 4.8 million pounds (about $6 million).In addition to the prize money announcement, the All England Club, which hosts Wimbledon, addressed several other topics:* Domestic Violence Policy: The club has been in discussions with other Grand Slam hosts about the possibility of creating a domestic violence policy. "Clearly that's something that the sport would want to do on a unified basis," said Sally Bolton, the club's chief executive.* Andy Murray's Retirement: The club has plans in place to celebrate two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray's career if, as expected, he announces this will be his last appearance at the tournament. "We've certainly got plans in place and we’re ready and prepared, but ultimately it's Andy’s decision," said Bolton.* Centre Court Start Time: Centre Court will continue to begin play at 1:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. EDT), despite concerns expressed by Novak Djokovic that such scheduling inevitably leads to late starts for a day's last match. "We’ve reviewed it, we’ve thought long and hard and looked at the data around length of matches and the trends that are occurring in that space," said Bolton, "and were very confident and happy with the decision that we’ve made this year.”