US Open Tennis Prize Money 2014: Updated Purse Payout for New York

Marin Cilic's life is about to change in more ways than one. 

First and foremost, his name is now forever etched into tennis history. He aced his way past Kei Nishikori in three easy sets at Flushing Meadows Monday night, capturing the 2014 U.S. Open title 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Just the second player not named Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray to win a Grand Slam in the last five years, the 25-year-old will never be forgotten in the Arthur Ashe history books. 

But it goes beyond tennis. The Croatian is about to get a massive raise.    

Here's a look at the prize money for the top male finishers, via USOpen.org:

Place	Player	Payout
Winner	Marin Cilic	$3,000,000
Runner-Up	Kei Nishikori	$1,450,000
Semifinalist	Novak Djokovic	$730,000
Semifinalist	Roger Federer	$730,000
Quarterfinalist	Andy Murray	$370,250
Quarterfinalist	Stan Wawrinka	$370,250
Quarterfinalist	Tomas Berdych	$370,250
Quarterfinalist	Gael Monfils	$370,250

By comparison, Cilic's biggest tennis payday before Monday came in 2010 when he advanced to the semifinals at the Australian Open. For that feat, he was awarded $400,000 Australian, or a little more than $371,166 American. 

Of course, this historic victory will be worth more than the $3 million in prize money, as it will open up new sponsorships. Cilic has a bit of a checkered past—he failed a drug test in 2013—but he's an exciting 25-year-old with a monster serve. He's plenty marketable. 

The same holds true to an even larger extent for Nishikori, even though he ran out of gas Monday night. 

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Already the most popular male tennis player from Asia (and it's not even close), the 24-year-old Japanese international has very little trouble raking in sponsors. According to Forbes' Miguel Morales, deals with UNIQLO, Wilson, Adidas and Tag Heuer, among others, helped Nishikori pull in more than $10 million in 2013. 

Morales explained the appeal:

"

Nishikori is a sponsor’s dream for a few reasons. At the tender age of 23 he’s easily the best male to ever play the sport from Japan. His steady but assured rise in the rankings the last few years suggests to fans and advertisers that the best is yet to come.  A spokesperson at UNIQLO, one of Kei’s sponsors, said, “his popularity and wide appeal, both in Japan and abroad, is a perfect match for us.”

"

After his run in New York, his popularity is only rising. Mic News' Bryan Armen Graham provided an example after Nishikori became the first Asian-born male player to reach a Grand Slam final:

"This is definitely huge for Japan," Djokovic told Graham after his loss to Nishikori in the semis. "It's a big country, over 100 million people. This can definitely be a great encouragement for tennis in that country."

When Li Na accomplished the same feat for the ladies in 2011 (although it's worth noting she became Asia's first champion), she signed an astounding seven endorsement contracts totaling at least $42 million. She is now No. 85 on Forbes' list of 100 most powerful celebrities, behind only Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams on the women's tennis circuit. 

Could Nishikori make a similar leap, joining the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic? That's unknown at this point, but after two thrilling weeks in New York, it's clear the arrow is pointing up for him and Cilic. 

Both on the court and in their bank accounts.