French Open champs will earn $2.5M each as total prize money tops $50M

PARIS (AP) — Paychecks for the two French Open singles champions will return to the pre-pandemic amount of €2.3 million ($2.5 million) each and the total prize money is rising to a tournament-record €49.6 million ($54 million).

The French tennis federation announced Friday what it will be offering at the clay-court Grand Slam event. Qualifying begins May 22; main-draw play starts May 28.

The title winners in singles will get the same pay as in 2019, which was the high mark in Paris. During the coronavirus pandemic, those prizes dropped to €1.6 million in 2020 and €1.4 million in 2021, before going back up to €2.2 million a year ago. Total prizes sank during that span, too, including to €34 million in 2021.

This year's total represents a jump of more than 10% from 2022.

Losers in the first round of singles will get €69,000 ($75,000), which is a 50% hike from what they got in 2019 and an 11% increase from last year.

Losers in the first round of qualifying receive €16,000 ($17,000), more than double what the 2019 payout was and up 14% from last year.

Money for wheelchair and quad tennis competitions rose 40% to €810,000 ($880,000), while women's and men's doubles payouts are 4% higher, including €590,000 ($640,000) to each winning pair.

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