French Open Prize Money (A Timeline)

The Uniqueness Of The French Open

The French Open is one of the four major tennis tournaments in the ATP and WTA calendar. The French Open (or Roland Garros as it’s also known), is characteristically played on clay. The court surface is slow, high bouncing, and moves under the player’s feet. This means that long rallies on clay courts are very common, making the tournament even more grueling to win. 

The French Open has been dominated by the king of clay, Rafael Nadal, whose heavy forehand and unbelievable athleticism have taken him to 14 titles and counting. 

Roland Garros has been played across several locations throughout its history. The partisan French crowd has enjoyed their premier tennis event in six locations.

The majority of these venue changes came in the earliest years of the event’s tenure, which has settled at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris since 1928.

French Open Prize Money – The Early Years 

The first French Open was contested back in 1891, and it’s fair to say prize money wasn’t much of a consideration back then! 

However, as tennis as a sport has grown in popularity, so too has the viewing figures of the French Open.

With more popularity comes greater opportunities for sponsorships and TV revenue.

Meaning there is more money on offer to the best players in the world who compete in the event. 

The first Roland Garros edition to offer a significant level of prize money came at the beginning of the open era in 1963, in which the total prize money on offer was €26,000. 

Since then, prizes for tournament participants have steadily grown over time. Even losing in the first round of the 2022 French Open pocketed a player $62,000!

Consistent Growth 

Tennis has grown from a traditional sport only really played by aristocracy into a global sport played by people from all over the world.

This traditional, old-school reputation of the sport took decades to shake off, and so too did the rise of professionalism and bigger prize money pots. 

The start of the open era in 1968 brought more popularity and therefore prize money to the tennis scene. This movement saw players taking the game more seriously and officially branded tennis as a professional sport.

This also meant the biggest tournaments in the world could offer their champions prizes that better reflected the hard work and dedication it took to win. 

With a modest €26,000 on offer in the first professional version of the French Open, it may be surprising to find out that the 2023 edition of the tournament offered almost €50 million. 

The total prize money on offer at the French Open has grown considerably. Here is a breakdown over the decades: 

• 1980: €360,000
• 1990: €4.85 million
• 2000: €10.6 million
• 2011: €17.5 million
• 2020: €38 million. 

Whilst many make mention of the fact that the winners of the French Open get the lowest amount of prize money compared to the other grand slams, players who lose in the earlier rounds earn more. 

The French Open has historically been the best-paying grand slam for losers in the first, second, third, and fourth rounds compared to the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Gender Parity at the French Open

Equal pay between men and women in tennis has been a hotly contested topic over the years. Billie Jean King pioneered the gender parity movement and saw the US Open set the trend for all the grand slams in tennis eventually offering equal pay to both men and women players. 

However, the French Open has lagged the other grand slams in the tennis calendar to offer equal pay to men and women. 

The French Open introduced equal prize money for men and women relatively late in their tournament history compared to other grand slams like the US Open, for example. The male and female champions of Roland Garros first earned equal prize money in 2006.

The Future of French Open Prize Money

As discussed, the current environment of prize money in the grand slams has come a long way from the tournament’s inception. 

Fortunately for most of the draw, the 2022 edition of the tournament saw several major increases in prize money, round by round, over the previous year. 

For example, the winner’s cheque was up 54%, the semi-finalist received a 60% boost, the quarter-finalist got a 49% increase and first-round qualifiers got a 40% increase. 

With that being said, it is difficult to say how much more of a prize money increase future tournaments will gather. However, the increase in popularity of the sport thanks to social media pushes and increased uptake of the sport worldwide should surely mean purses will increase in years to come. 

This increase in popularity plays a major role in making the life of a professional tennis player more financially viable, even in the lower echelons of the rankings.

How French Open Prize Money is Supporting the Wider Game

The French Open has a history of using its revenue to support the lower-ranked players in the tournament, rather than focusing on the champions. 

Roland Garros offers very generous prizes for first-round losers, as well as players competing in the qualifying tournament.

This makes the French Open a very attractive and competitive tournament for lower-ranked players, who can create some major upsets. 

The French Open is considered the most physically demanding grand slam to win, and most players are rewarded well for their efforts.

French Open Prize Money: Accolade or Income?

The French Open has historically been the least lucrative grand slam to win going by the sheer prize money on offer to the eventual champion.

However, the French Tennis Federation does a great job of supporting lower-ranked players who bow out in the earlier rounds of the tournament. 

There have been generous increases in the prize money on offer throughout the French Open hierarchy in recent years.

And that is sure to continue to a greater or lesser extent, thanks to increased media coverage of the event.