US Open 2021 is about to start in a week’s time and is finally in the news for some good reasons. Firstly, it’s because Novak Djokovic has a chance to win the slam and become the second man in history after Rod Laver to win all 4 slams in a calendar year. Along with that, he will also break the record for the highest number of slams won by individuals in men’s tennis.
However, now there’s another reason for fans and players to cheer for as US Open has just announced that the crowd will be back. Along with that, the organizers have also increased the prize money to $57,500,000. The previous highest was $57,238,700 in 2019 which has now seen a surge of nearly 8%. Last year the organizers complained that they have suffered losses due to pandemics. Also, because Djokovic was ruled out via disqualification. Still, the organizers have gone all out with the highest prize money pool of the tournament.
Fans can cheer but there’s one catch that is left and that is that even though the price money has increased, the singles individual winner’s money has been decreased to $2.5 million from $3 million. Tournament director, Stacey Allaster said that this decision is taken after keeping ATP and players in the loop. People who exit the tournament early will also see an increased amount being credited to their accounts.
The US Open prize money for doubles winners has also been increased and this has brought a huge cheer for the players who only play doubles. Not just singles winners but even the runners-up prize money have been decreased. US Open prize money has left behind French Open but is still behind Wimbledon and the Australian Open. The Australian Open has the highest pool of $71,500,000. That’s a hell of prize money as it is nearly 20% more than the increased US Open prize pool is.
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US Open qualifiers are on as of now and main draws will begin from 30th August and will last till 12th September. Three big names including defending champion Dominic Thiem, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal are missing this time around. However, there are many big names that have made the roster. The defending champion from women, Naomi Osaka and 7-time US Open women’s champion, Serena Williams are there in the main draw. In men’s the competition has become even more fierce with the rise of Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Stsipas.
The tournament director has assured that the tournament will be competitive and a memorable one. The best part is that fans are allowed as last year, it was played behind closed doors. This slam will be a memorable one if Djokovic wins the slam as not just, he will have the calendar slam but will also settle the GOAT debate forever. He looked out of swords at the Olympics but had a nice 3 weeks rest before the tournament commenced. He missed few important tournaments as US Open was his priority.
