What is the Prize Money for the 2026 Australian Open?
Madison Keys and Jannik Sinner will enter the Australian Open as the defending champions.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Jannik Sinner HQ, TNT Sports)
Many players from both the ATP and WTA are participating in warm-up tournaments ahead of the first big event of the season – the Australian Open. The main draw of the first Major of the season is scheduled to be held on January 18 at Melbourne Park, while the final will take place on February 1.
On the women’s side, Madison Keys will enter the competition as the defending champion. Last year, she denied Aryna Sabalenka the three-peat with a three-set win.
On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner will be bidding to win his third consecutive title. In the previous two seasons, he went past Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. If he wins, he will become only the second man in the Open Era to complete the three-peat after Novak Djokovic, who last won here in 2023 by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Serb will be chasing his 24th Grand Slam title. Prior to the Australian Open, he was scheduled to play the Adelaide International, but he skipped it as he was not ready physically.
Carlos Alcaraz‘s goal will be to complete the Career Grand Slam. The Spaniard suffered a four-set defeat at the hands of Djokovic. Alcaraz, in fact, has made just the quarterfinals in Melbourne, not yet progressing beyond the stage.
Women’s World No.2 Iga Swiatek will also be eying the Career Grand Slam. Last year, she lifted her career’s first grass-court title at Wimbledon. But Swiatek has never reached the final in Melbourne, losing in the last four twice, in 2022 and 2025.
World No.3 Coco Gauff made the semifinals in 2024 but was defeated in the quarterfinals last year. She will be chasing her third Grand Slam singles title following the 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open.
On the women’s side, apart from Sabalenka, Keys, Gauff, and Swiatek, the other contenders for the title are two-time Grand Slam singles finalist Jasmine Paolini and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, and two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova.
Anisimova had a breakthrough season last year as she lifted the China Open and the Qatar Open, losing in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open to Swiatek and Sabalenka, respectively. In the Wimbledon final, Anisimova suffered a humiliating double bagel defeat.
Prize money for the 2026 Australian Open
The total prize pool for the 2026 Australian Open is a record-breaking $111.5 million. The men’s and women’s singles winners will receive $4.15 million.
| First round | $150k |
| Second round | $225k |
| Third round | $327.75k |
| Round of 16 | $480k |
| Quarterfinals | $750k |
| Semifinals | $1.25m |
| Runner-up | $2.15m |
| Champion | $4.15m |
Novak Djokovic is the tournament’s most successful player, having won 11 titles. In the previous two seasons, he failed to progress to the final. Eventual winner Jannik Sinner knocked him out in four sets in the 2023 semifinal, while last year his hamstring injury forced him to give a walkover to Alexander Zverev.
Apart from Sinner, Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Zverev, the other players who are favorites to win the Australian Open are Ben Shelton, 2024 US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Lorenzo Musetti, and Daniil Medvedev. Jack Draper has pulled out of the tournament due to an arm injury, while Holger Rune is currently nursing his Achilles tendon injury.
On the women’s side, Serena Williams holds the record for most Australian Open titles in the Open Era (seven). The last player to win two consecutive titles is Aryna Sabalenka (2023 and 2024). She went past Elena Rybakina and Qinwen Zheng, respectively. The Belarusian will be chasing her fifth Major, while Iga Swiatek will be chasing her seventh Major.
Sabalenka is competing at the Brisbane International, while Swiatek is representing Poland at the United Cup. The former is bidding to defend her title in the WTA 500 event.
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