Overview
- The U.S. Tennis Association announced Thursday that the 2026 U.S. Open will offer a record $108 million total player package, including $5.5 million for each singles champion and $140,000 for first‑round losers.
- All four Grand Slam tournaments jointly announced a Grand Slam Player Council that will launch after the U.S. Open to give players direct input on sporting matters and allow them to raise compensation issues with organizers.
- The U.S. Open also seeded a $2 million Player Support Program to fund mid‑career and retirement benefits and will hold the funds in an independent account while details are worked out with player input.
- Organizers boosted early‑round payouts proportionally more than later rounds to ease financial pressure on lower‑ranked players while doubles payouts saw only modest increases.
- Core negotiations over a formal prize‑money formula tied to tournament revenue remain unresolved because some Slams resist using gross revenue as the sole basis and the USTA has not yet published its 2025 financials needed to confirm the purse’s revenue share.