Tomás Yelmini
It’s now the turn of the traditional US Open, the last Grand Slam of the annual calendar of top-level tennis, with the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon as other milestones of the year. Played on a hard court, the U.S. Open was launched in New York in 1881 and has since become a major event on the professional circuit.
In the men’s individual tournament, there will be three major absences: Roger Federer (five-time champion), who is not yet ready to return because of so many injuries; Novak Djokovic (three-time winner), prevented from participating because he refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and Alexander Zverev (finalist in 2020), still recovering from ankle surgery.
Updated Purse and Prize Money Breakdown for the 2022 US Open Running From August 29 to September 11, 2022
As in every Grand Slam, the amounts are the same for both the men’s and women’s singles categories.
| ROUND | PRIZE | POINTS |
| Winner | $2,600,000 | 2,000 |
| Finalist | $1,300,000 | 1,200 |
| Semifinalist | $705,000 | 720 |
| Quarterfinals | $445,000 | 360 |
| Fourth round | $278,000 | 180 |
| Third round | $188,000 | 90 |
| Second round | $121,000 | 45 |
| First round | $80,000 | 10 |
ATP
Five-time champions Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer share the Open Era singles record at the New York event, which will award a total of $27,915,200 in prize money.
The defending champion is Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, ranked number one, who beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in 2021. Another of the great stars will be Spanish Rafael Nadal, four-time champion in New York.
WTA
Among the women, the spotlight will be on Serena Williams, a 40-year-old winner of 23 Grand Slams, who has announced that she is ending her tennis career. Also starring will be Britain’s Emma Raducanu, surprise champion in 2021, and Poland’s Iga Swiatek, world number one and two-time Roland Garros winner. The cash prizes are the same as for the men.
The Americans’ best hope is number 12 in the rankings, Cori “Coco” Gauff, who, at the age of 18, already has two titles to her name, has shown tremendous growth, and was recently a finalist at Roland Garros.
5 fun facts about the US Open
This tournament has several curiosities worth noting. Here is some information about it:
- The oldest champion was Ken Rosewall, who in 1970 won at the age of 35.
- On the other hand, the youngest champion in history was Pete Sampras, who won the US Open in 1990 at the age of 19.
- In 1994, Andre Agassi became the lowest-ranked U.S. Open winner: he was ranked 20th.
- American Jimmy Connors has the most victories in the history of this Grand Slam, with 98.
- The United States has not had a champion in its flagship tournament since 2003. The last one was Andy Roddick.
Things to know
- The US Open is the only event that has been held on all surfaces (and the only one that has never been interrupted by war or pandemic): grass (1881-1974), clay (1975-1979) and concrete (since 1980).
- Since 1973, this event has been a pioneer in the equal distribution of awards to men and women.
- Only three Latin American tennis players were able to win the U.S. Grand Slam trophy. The first was the Mexican Rafael Osuna, in 1963, who defeated the local Frank Froehling. In 1977, it was the turn of Argentine Guillermo Vilas, after beating Jimmy Connors. Finally, in 2009, another Argentine, Juan Martín del Potro, won the title thanks to his victory over Swiss Roger Federer.
