Next year’s Australian Open will be the richest grand slam tournament in history with the men’s and women’s champions each taking home A$2.3 million ($2.18 million), organisers of the Melbourne event said on Tuesday.
The total prize purse for the Jan. 16-29 tournament has also been hiked to A$26 million, the organisers said in a statement on their website (www.australianopen.com).
They also announced a new women’s legends event, which is set to feature three-times Australian Open champion Martina Hingis, and the extension of the use of hawk-eye technology to the Margaret Court Arena.
“The Australian Open inspires players at an elite and grassroots level, particularly after the success of local hero Sam Stosur, who was so impressive winning the 2011 U.S. Open singles title last month,” Victoria premier Ted Baillieu was quoted as saying in the statement.
