Australian Open 2016 Prize Money: Complete Purse and Earnings from Melbourne

The Australian Open kicks off the Grand Slam tennis season in rich fashion as the world’s greatest descend down under and duel for a whopping $44 million in purse money, a 10 percent increase from last year.

The men’s and women’s singles winners will each pocket a cool $3.8 million—up a staggering 65 percent since 2012—and the runner-ups won’t do too bad either, taking a sum half that size.

Here is a look at the 2016 purse compared to the last five years, via the event’s official website:

	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Singles-Men's and Women's-per player-128 draw
Winners	$2,300,000	$2,430,000	$2,650,000	$3,100,000	$3,800,000
Runners-up	$1,150,000	$1,215,000	$1,325,000	$1,550,000	$1,900,000
Semifinalists	$437,000	$500,000	$540,000	$650,000	$800,000
Quarterfinalists	$218,500	$250,000	$270,000	$340,000	$400,000
Round of 16	$109,250	$125,000	$135,000	$175,000	$200,000
Round of 32	$54,625	$71,000	$75,000	$97,500	$97,500
Round of 64	$33,300	$45,500	$50,000	$60,000	$60,000
First Round	$20,800	$27,600	$30,000	$34,500	$34,500
Total	$18,685,600	$22,006,800	$23,870,000	$28,796,000	$30,000,000
Double-Men's and Women's-per pair-64 draw
Winners	$454,500	$475,000	$520,000	$575,000	$650,000
Runners-up	$227,250	$237,500	$260,000	$285,000	$325,000
Semifinalists	$113,000	$118,750	$130,000	$142,500	$160,500
Quarterfinalists	$56,000	$60,000	$65,000	$71,000	$80,000
Round of 16	$31,500	$33,500	$36,000	$39,000	$40,000
Round of 32	$17,200	$19,500	$21,000	$23,000	$23,000
First Round	$9,600	$12,500	$13,500	$14,800	$14,800
Total	$3,932,300	$4,340,000	$4,712,000	$5,165,200	$5,200,000
Mixed Doubles-per pair-32 draw
Winners	$135,500	$135,500	$135,500	$142,500	$150,500
Runners Up	$67,500	$67,500	$67,750	$71,500	$75,500
Semifinalists	$33,900	$33,900	$33,900	$35,600	$37,500
Quarterfinalists	$15,500	$15,500	$15,500	$16,300	$18,750
Round of 16	$7,800	$7,800	$7,800	$8,200	$9,000
First Round	$3800	$3800	$3800	$4,000	$4,500
Total	$456,000	$456,000	$456,250	$480,000	$500,000
Total	$26,000,000	$30,000,000	$33,000,000	$40,000,000	$44,000,000

The consistent increases have rippled down all the way to first-round exits among the 128-player event, which has drawn competitors that arrive injured and out of shape merely to collect what will amount to $34,500.

Factoring in currency conversion, the Australian Open is the third richest total purse among Grand Slam events behind Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, according to TotalSportek.com.

But, it also has the allure as arguably the most paramount of the Grand Slams—at least four-time winner Roger Federer believes so.

“The Australian Open is the one where players come in maybe most inspired,” Federer said, courtesy of CNN.

In men’s singles, they’ll all be chasing Novak Djokovic, the defending champion who nearly swept all Grand Slam events last year, finishing second at the French Open.

Even former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal—a 14-time major winner, including the 2009 Australian Open—believes Djokovic is so high atop the tennis world that only injury or a miraculous upset will remove him from his perch.

"[He’s] playing at a better level than the rest of the players now,” Nadal said, courtesy of Leo Schlink of the Herald Sun. "That’s obvious, no? The way he’s playing, it’s difficult to see him losing matches.”