Everything is almost set for the first Grand Slam of the year. The Australian Open 2022 will be played from January 17 through January 30, 2022. While many stars are not going to compete, such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams, tennis fans are eager to meet the new champions.

The preview of the tournament has been marked by Novak Djokovic’s vaccine controversy, which hasn’t been resolved yet. The Serbian’s visa has been canceled two times, which makes it difficult for the nine-time champion to compete this year. However, he still has a very slim chance to make it, if he wins the second appeal.

On the other side, Naomi Osaka is the defending champion of the women’s singles tournament. The Japanese star will return to the big scenery after a complicated six months in which she had to retire from several tournaments due to her mental health. However, she is still one of the favorites to win the crown once more.

Australian Open 2022 prize money

This year, the Australian Open singles champions received $2,875,000 (US$2 million), which is 5% more of what they got last year. However, the sum is still far away from the $4 million they received in 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The overall prize money is up to 75$ million dollars, which is more than last year’s $71.5 million. Since 2018, the Australian Open has been committed to increase the prize money from $55 million to $100 million over five years, after the ATP player council, led by Novak Djokovic at the time, pushed for better revenue.

The runner-up of the Australian Open will take home $1,575,000 (US$1,134,582.75), while the semi finalists will take $895,000 (US$644,731.15). The small increase will be for those players beaten in the first round and all they way through to the four finalists.

Round Prize money (AUS$)
Winner $2,875,000
Runner-Up $1,575,000
Semi-Finalists $895,000
Quarter-Finalists $538,500
Round of 16 $328,000
Round of 32 $221,000
Round of 64 $154,000
First Round $103,000

*Source: Australian Open