With the Paris Olympic Games’ fanfare done and dusted for the tennis fans, all the attention now shifts to the US Open, which comes up later this month. Top players around the world have already begun their preparations for the hard-court major tournament. Among them are the defending US Open champions, Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz, although the latter won in 2022. The duo has received a major boost to their title defense in New York as the tournament organizers have some wonderful news for the players.

Minutes ago, the tournament announced the prize money for the 2024 edition. The total compensation reached $75 Million, which makes it the largest purse in tennis history. This will be music to the ears of the players, with the prize money being increased by 15% from the previous edition. Additionally, the singles champions will pocket $3.6 Million, an astronomical sum that is set to further motivate Gauff and Alcaraz to defend their titles.

Although technically Novak Djokovic may have been the reigning champ, his injury cycle this year may hold him back. Yes, he just won a gold at the Olympics, but come the hard court season, the winner of the last two Slams in 2022 is the favorite going in.

Last year, Gauff and Djokovic pocketed $3 Million each after winning the title in New York. This year, Gauff and Alcaraz (maybe Djokovic?) have a chance of winning $0.6 Million more if they successfully defend their titles, which is a whopping 20 percent increase. With the overall purse increasing, the prize money for other rounds has also gone up in the range of 15-25%.

When it comes to the prize money, the US Open has always been at the forefront of historical changes. It was one of the first tournaments to introduce equal pay for male and female players. Additionally, the tournament offers a significantly greater sum to the players than other tennis tournaments. Last year, Gauff pocketed $3 Million after winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. Interestingly, she didn’t have any plans about how to utilize those winnings.

Coco Gauff: “I don’t have any debt”

The American sensation won her maiden major trophy in New York when she was just 19 last year. Furthermore, she was still living with her parents and had never dreamed of winning an astronomical figure of $3 Million at such a young age. As a result, she was unsure of how to spend that money.

After winning the title, she revealed, “I’m 19; I don’t have any debt. I still live with my parents, so I’m not in debt. I didn’t go to college, so I don’t have any student bills to pay; I’m too young; my parents never put me in that position to be in debt, so I have nothing to pay right now.”

Just like Gauff, Alcaraz too earned that sum at a young age. With the US Open purse going up even further this year, the two young stars have a chance to create big waves in the prize money earnings list, if they successfully defend their titles in New York.