Sixty-four men and 64 women will lose in the first round of the U.S. Open. For many of them, it will still be their richest payday of the year.
Players who lose in the first round of the U.S. Open singles draws earn $140,000 for their participation. That number is more than triple the $43,300 awarded in 2016 and more than nine times the $15,000 from 2005. The six-figure first-round payout still pales in comparison to the $5.5 million winner’s prize, but it has increased at a faster rate than the later-round prizes over the past several decades.
The Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon also awarded at least $100,000 each for first-round losses this year. For context, that’s comparable to the $112,400 payout for winning the 2026 Winston Salem Open, an ATP 250 event that runs the week before the U.S. Open and this year featured eight players ranked in the world’s top 50.
For players outside the top 50, who sometimes don’t automatically qualify for Tour-level events, Grand Slam losses present a more financially lucrative opportunity than winning tournaments.
“The Grand Slams are the places where, as a player not ranked super high, you get most of the money during the year,” former top-50 player Maximilian Marterer said in 2024. “It’s obviously something that gives the guys a little safety in order to pay their bills for the coaches, for the flights.”
