How has the French Open final prize money changed over the years?

published

The French Open offers an incredible amount as prize money and has been growing over the years

The 2020 French Open was conducted recently with a lot of questions regarding the scheduling of the tennis circuit.

Tennis, much like every other spot, saw a lot of changes in its schedule this year. Wimbledon was also cancelled in 2020 while many other grass court events were also hit due to certain circumstances.

However, the 2020 French Open went off without any major issues thanks to some great work by the organisers.

Iga Swiatek has had many coaches in her career
Poland’s Iga Swiatek reacts after winning against Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska during their women’s singles semi-final tennis match (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP)

Roland Garros has seen some incredible stories over the years, and another one saw the rise of Iga Swiatek.

The 2020 French Open Finals live betting would have seen some major ups and downs, especially in the women’s final thanks to the Polish teen.

Swiatek won the women’s title by defeating American Sofia Kenin. The Pole wasn’t the favourite when the tournament started and the win was even more remarkable since this was her first WTA title.

On the men’s side, things were a little more predictable as Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his 20th Grand Slam and matched Roger Federer’s record.

Nadal, actually, demolished the Serbian as he was bageled in the final with the Spaniard creating history.

Djokovic came into this clash with some great form. However, Nadal proved to all why he is called the ‘King of Clay’.

Rafael Nadal won another French Open title
Rafael Nadal of Spain poses on the roof of Les Galeries Lafayette with Les Mousquetaires trophy following his victory in the Men’s Singles Finals against Novak Djokovic of Serbia (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

That was a record that Nadal had been hounding for a while, and the Spaniard certainly had something to celebrate after another Roland Garros title.

While Nadal added another million or so to his pocket, Swiatek became an overnight millionaire thanks to her win.

The French Open has one of the biggest purses in tennis, but they took a huge decision in 2007 with regards to their prize money.

Equal prize money for all

The French Open, in 2007, announced that the men and women would get the same amount per round, which was great news for female tennis players.

Female players weren’t getting the same amount as the men in many tournaments. However, the French Open making this change was a boost for the female stars. The prize money offered is one of the biggest in tennis and that has gradually increased over the years.

The 2010 French Open saw the singles winners get €1,120,000 each while the losing finalists got half of that, €560,000.

Novak Djokovic walks away after getting a bagel in the French Open final
Novak Djokovic reacts as he plays against Spain’s Rafael Nadal during their men’s final tennis match (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

Every year of the French Open has seen an increase in the prize money for each round. The 2018 edition saw overall prize money of €39,197,000 for all the competitions.

The final winners in 2018 got a staggering €2,200,000 for the men’s and women’s singles tournament each.

The losing finalists also picked up a staggering amount with €1,120,000. The losing semi-finalists for both the men’s and women’s bracket got half of that amount.

The Doubles and mixed doubles stars didn’t make millions but were handed six-figure sums for winning the final.

The 2019 edition also saw a rise in the prize money. The singles winners each got €2,300,000 while the runner ups got €1,180,000 each.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal with his French Open title last year. (Getty Images)

There was a growth of 15% in the prize money for those who exited the first round and 10% for those leaving the second and third rounds, respectively.

The growth reduced with each round with the winner only seeing a growth of 4.55%, but that still saw them earn millions.

A boost for the lower-ranked stars

There were changes in the 2020 French Open prize money. However, there was some good news for the early exiters.

The prize money for losers in the qualifying rounds grew with some receiving a 42% increase after exiting.

This was a bit of a much-needed boost for the lower-ranked stars. The lack of tennis throughout the year affected their earnings but the French Open stepped up in all this. It wasn’t the same story for the winners of the competitions though.

The finalists, however, took home a lower amount when compared to the 2019 edition. It was still a huge amount for each finalist with the singles winners getting €1,600,000 each and the losing finalists taking home €850,500 each.

Rafael NAdal and Novak Djokovic met in the 2020 French Open
Rafael Nadal of Spain (R) and Novak Djokovic of Serbia pose for a photo (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The doubles winners received €319,652 per team while the losing pair got €188,030. Nevertheless, the 2020 French Open went down as a success, especially with the added prize money for the lower-ranked stars.

Nadal and Swiatek had their crowning glories, and it will be interesting to see what the next big story from the Grand Slam is next year.

More Tennis news

Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates