Australian Open Prize Money

Last updated: August 2026. This page will be updated when Tennis Australia confirms 2027 prize money figures, expected late December 2026 or early January 2027.

The Australian Open prize pool has evolved beyond a mere sum of money: it now stands as a powerful declaration of ambition and purpose. Over the past decade, Tennis Australia has grown the AO’s total prize pool faster than any other Grand Slam, turning the first major of the season into one of the most financially attractive events in world tennis. That growth is deliberate. A higher prize pool draws the world’s best players to Melbourne in January, ensures the competition field is the deepest in the sport, and signals to every player, from qualifier to champion, that the Australian Open takes their contribution seriously. The 2026 edition offered a record AUD $111.5 million to players across the draw. The 2027 figures will be confirmed in late December 2026, and this page will be updated on announcement.

Australian Open 2027 Prize Money

Official prize money for the 2027 Australian Open has not yet been confirmed. Tennis Australia typically announces figures in late December or early January, ahead of the tournament’s opening week.

The 2026 total prize pool of AUD $111.5 million serves as the confirmed reference point. That was a 16 per cent increase on 2025’s AUD $96.5 million pool, and at the time of the announcement represented the largest prize pool in tournament history and the largest single-year jump the tournament has made. The champion in each singles draw took home AUD $4.15 million, a 19 per cent increase on the year prior.

For 2027, Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has signalled continued growth in player compensation and has spoken publicly about lifting the share of tournament revenue paid to players. Given the tournament’s unbroken run of annual increases, the total pool is widely expected to exceed AUD $111.5 million when figures are confirmed.

This section will be updated with confirmed 2027 round-by-round figures on the announcement from Tennis Australia.

Australian Open Prize Money Breakdown

The 2026 breakdown below is the most recent confirmed data. All figures are in Australian dollars.

Men’s and Women’s Singles

The Australian Open has maintained equal prize money for men and women throughout all rounds since 2001, one of the sport’s most consistent commitments to parity.

Source: Tennis Australia / ausopen.com, January 2026.

Even a first-round exit at the Australian Open guarantees AUD $150,000. For wildcard entrants and qualifiers who battle through to the main draw, that represents a meaningful income from a single week of competition, and it reflects a broader philosophy at Tennis Australia about how a major event should treat its entire field, not just the finalists.

Qualifying Rounds (Men’s and Women’s Singles)

Qualifying prize money has increased 55 per cent since 2023, part of a deliberate shift toward supporting players ranked outside the top tier who rely heavily on Grand Slam income to sustain a professional career. “From boosting qualifying prize money by 55 per cent since 2023 to enhancing player benefits, we’re ensuring professional tennis is sustainable for all competitors,” Tiley said at the 2026 announcement.

Doubles (Per Team)

Tables will be updated with confirmed 2027 figures on the announcement from Tennis Australia.

How Does Australian Open Prize Money Compare to the Other Grand Slams?

The Australian Open now offers one of the largest prize pools in world tennis, and its rate of growth over the past decade has outpaced all three of the other majors.

The table below compares approximate champion prize money across all four Grand Slams for 2026. All figures are approximate; currency conversions reflect mid-year exchange rates and fluctuate. The US Open 2026 total pool had not been formally announced at the time of this update.

Note: Exchange rate fluctuations affect USD comparisons. Wimbledon 2026 total pool was confirmed at £64.2 million, a 20 per cent increase, announced June 2026. French Open 2026 was confirmed at €61.7 million, a 9.5 per cent increase. US Open 2026 total pool was not confirmed at the time of publication; 2025 figures shown as reference.

The AUD figure places the Australian Open comfortably in the top tier of Grand Slam investment when expressed in local currency, and the consistency of annual increases has sent a clear signal to the player community: Melbourne in January is a priority event, not an opening-round warm-up.

There is important context behind these numbers. The Australian summer represents a long and expensive travel swing for players coming from Europe or the Americas. Prize pool increases at the AO directly offset those costs and reflect Tennis Australia’s awareness of what it takes to sustain genuine commitment from the world’s top players early in the season. In a year when players pressed all four Grand Slams publicly on revenue share, including in press conferences at Roland Garros, the AO’s track record of year-on-year increases gave it a notable advantage in player goodwill.

Australian Open Prize Money: A History of Growth

The scale of prize money growth at the Australian Open over the past decade is genuinely striking. In 2017, the total prize pool stood at around AUD $50 million. By 2026, that figure was AUD $111.5 million, an increase of more than 120 per cent in nine years. No other Grand Slam has grown its prize pool at a comparable rate over the same period.

A few milestones illustrate the trajectory:

• 2017: The AO reached the AUD $50 million total pool mark for the first time
• 2023: The total pool reached AUD $76.5 million, with qualifying prize money beginning a sustained upward trend
• 2025: The total pool reached AUD $96.5 million
• 2026: A record AUD $111.5 million, a 16 per cent increase on 2025 and the largest single-year jump in tournament history

The 55 per cent increase in qualifying prize money since 2023 is the most meaningful indicator of how the tournament’s approach has evolved. Rather than concentrating increases at the champion and finalist level, Tennis Australia has deliberately spread prize pool growth down the draw, acknowledging that early-round income matters most to players trying to build sustainable careers.

This philosophy extends beyond the tournament itself. The prize money uplift forms part of Tennis Australia’s AUD $135 million total investment across the Australian summer swing, including the United Cup and 250-level events in Brisbane, Hobart, and Adelaide, a figure that positions the AO not just as a single tournament but as an anchor for an entire season’s opening chapter.

The broader player-revenue debate has intensified across the sport in 2025 and 2026, with the PTPA’s legal action and a coordinated push from top players for a greater share of Grand Slam revenue keeping the issue on the front page. The AO’s track record of proactive increases has positioned it more favourably than its counterparts in those conversations.

One development to watch for 2027: after the 2026 tournament, Craig Tiley publicly floated introducing best-of-five sets for women from the quarterfinals onward, potentially as soon as 2027, subject to consultation with the players. If adopted, such a format change would likely accompany a further prize pool increase to reflect the additional playing demands, another signal that prize money at the AO is tied to a genuine commitment to the value of the competition, not a fixed annual formula.

What the Prize Pool Means for the Australian Open Experience

Prize money and field quality are directly connected. When the Australian Open pays at record levels and has a documented record of increasing that amount year on year, the world’s top players treat it as a genuine priority, not a loosening-up exercise before the European clay season. The result is consistently one of the deepest fields in tennis to open the calendar.

In 2026, the top six men and top six women all reached the quarter-finals, the first time in the Open Era that had happened at any Grand Slam. That kind of depth is a product of player commitment, and player commitment follows investment. For a spectator, it means world-class tennis is guaranteed from the opening rounds, not just in the second week.

For someone watching at ground level in week one, this translates to a day spent watching high-quality matchups across multiple courts simultaneously, not a slog through mismatched first-round contests. For a hospitality guest at Rod Laver Arena, it means the draw is populated with the players who matter, not just the names, but the players at their best, motivated by the event.

The AO’s consistent financial investment has made Melbourne in January the definition of appointment tennis. The players competing there are not marking time until February. They are there to win the biggest cheque and the most prestigious title on offer at the start of a season, and that shows in how they play.

Attend the Australian Open 2027

The prize pool explains why the world’s best players are in Melbourne each January. Their presence is what makes attending in person so compelling. The 2027 Australian Open runs from 11 to 31 January 2027 at Melbourne Park, with the main draw beginning Sunday 17 January and the finals on 30 and 31 January.

Keith Prowse Travel, an official travel partner for the Australian Open, offers Australian Open 2027 packages combining guaranteed official tickets and central Melbourne accommodation with, depending on the package, premium Rod Laver Arena seating, hospitality functions and transfers. If the prize pool tells you why the best players show up, a KPT package is how you watch them from the best seat in the house.

View our Australian Open 2027 Packages