The US Open has responded to possible player pay protests by awarding another record purse.<\/p>\n
The 2026 US Open will offer $108 million in total player compensation, a 20% increase from $90 million last year<\/a>, the USTA announced Thursday. The men\u2019s and women\u2019s singles winners will take home $5.5 million, up from last year\u2019s record $5 million prize.\u00a0<\/p>\n The announcement also came with the introduction of a Grand Slam Player Advisory Council and a $2 million fund that will go toward player welfare, two other requests that players have been asking for since last year.<\/p>\n It appears that these have been enough to stave off a protest by players at the US Open following a coordinated media protest<\/a> conducted by top men\u2019s and women\u2019s players at Roland-Garros in May. Top ATP and WTA players said in a joint statement that they \u201cwelcomed\u201d the announcement made by the US Open of increased prize money and additional commitment to player welfare.<\/p>\n \u201cThese steps represent important progress in the ongoing conversations between players and the US Open over the past eighteen months,\u201d the statement read<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Players have been asking for an increase in the share of total revenue Grand Slams bring in. Players typically receive about 15% of revenue share at Grand Slam events, and are seeking 22% by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear how much the $108 million player compensation compares to the 2026 projected revenue of the US Open. The 2026 prize represents 19.3% of the $559.7 million operating revenue in 2024, the latest publicly available number. (The prize pool is less than total player compensation, which includes additional support provided to players for out-of-pocket expenses. That amount was $5 million in 2025, though the tour did not announce that figure this year.)\u00a0<\/p>\n The US Open player compensation bump equals that of Wimbledon, which came a month after the French Open protests. Players did not continue protests at Wimbledon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apart from share of revenue, players have also lobbied<\/a> for increased pension support and a larger voice when it comes to Grand Slam decision-making.\u00a0<\/p>\n In response, the USTA\u2019s announcement included a $2 million commitment in a player support program that will be equally split between men\u2019s and women\u2019s players. The program is \u201cdesigned to complement existing end-of-career pension funds.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a significant first step in a multi-year investment in athletes as the US Open continues to be the best economic opportunity for players and the most valuable platform in tennis for players, fans and partners,\u201d new USTA CEO Craig Tiley said in the announcement.<\/p>\n The USTA also announced a Grand Slam Player Advisory Council alongside the other three Grand Slams: the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, and Wimbledon.\u00a0<\/p>\n