US Open ups the ante with richest ever purse in tennis

The US Open will put up tennis' biggest ever purse at this year's grand slam.

Already one of the most coveted trophies in world sport, the stakes are higher than ever with the prize money receiving a healthy $4million boost to take the total prize money to $46.3m.

Of that total, $3.5m will go to both the men's and women's singles winners.

Even the prize money for the US Open qualifying tournament is up 10 per cent, moving to a total of $1.9m.

"We are proud that this year’s US Open will offer the richest purse in tennis history," said USTA president and US Open Chairwoman Katrina Adams in a statement on the tournament's official website.

"We continue to invest in all aspects of this world-class event to provide the best services and experiences for the players, our fans and all of the US Open partners."

The likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Serena Williams seldom need another excuse to want to win the prestigious tournament, but they now have another reason to seek all the glory come August 29 when the men's and women's singles tournaments get underway.

The prize money will be distributed as follows:

Singles:Winner: $3,500,000                            Runner-Up: $1,750,000                            Semi-finalist: $875,000                            Quarter-finalist: $450,000                            Round of 16: $235,000                            Round of 32: $140,000                            Round of 64: $77,200                            Round of 128: $43,300Doubles (each team):Winners: $625,000Runners-Up: $310,000Semi-finalist: $150,000Quarter-finalist: $75,000Round of 16: $40,000Round of 32: $24,500Round of 64: $15,150