<p class="title">The prize pool for the 2020 Australian Open has been boosted by 14% to A$71 million ($49.1 million), organisers said on Tuesday, with the biggest gains for players exiting in the early rounds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Players losing in the first round of qualifiers at the year's first Grand Slam will take home A$20,000- up by a third from last year, while singles players who exit in the first round of the main draw will earn A$90,000- a jump of 20%.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Before the start of the 2018 Australian Open, Serb champion Novak Djokovic had to distance himself from media reports that he had pushed for a revolt over the way revenues from the four Grand Slams were distributed to help reward a larger group of players.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We have long been committed to improving the pay and conditions for a deeper pool of international tennis players," tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement, noting that overall prize money has more than tripled since 2007.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This year we pushed to reward for players competing early in the tournament in both singles and doubles."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 2020 women's and men's singles champions will receive smaller increases in prize money- up to $20,000, with both winners taking home A$4.12 million.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Players can usually secure a main draw appearance in the tournament, which starts on Jan 20, by having a ranking in the top 100.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Naomi Osaka of Japan is the reigning women's singles champion at the Australian Open while Djokovic claimed a record seventh title by defeating great rival Rafa Nadal in 2019 final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a report published last year, an International Review Panel commissioned to address betting-related and other integrity issues said that players in the lowest tiers were susceptible to being corrupted because of the difficulty of making a living- with only 250-350 players earning enough money to break even.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The International Tennis Federation last week announced a series of measures as part of its fight against corruption in the sport's lower levels.</p>
<p class="title">The prize pool for the 2020 Australian Open has been boosted by 14% to A$71 million ($49.1 million), organisers said on Tuesday, with the biggest gains for players exiting in the early rounds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Players losing in the first round of qualifiers at the year's first Grand Slam will take home A$20,000- up by a third from last year, while singles players who exit in the first round of the main draw will earn A$90,000- a jump of 20%.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Before the start of the 2018 Australian Open, Serb champion Novak Djokovic had to distance himself from media reports that he had pushed for a revolt over the way revenues from the four Grand Slams were distributed to help reward a larger group of players.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We have long been committed to improving the pay and conditions for a deeper pool of international tennis players," tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement, noting that overall prize money has more than tripled since 2007.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This year we pushed to reward for players competing early in the tournament in both singles and doubles."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 2020 women's and men's singles champions will receive smaller increases in prize money- up to $20,000, with both winners taking home A$4.12 million.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Players can usually secure a main draw appearance in the tournament, which starts on Jan 20, by having a ranking in the top 100.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Naomi Osaka of Japan is the reigning women's singles champion at the Australian Open while Djokovic claimed a record seventh title by defeating great rival Rafa Nadal in 2019 final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a report published last year, an International Review Panel commissioned to address betting-related and other integrity issues said that players in the lowest tiers were susceptible to being corrupted because of the difficulty of making a living- with only 250-350 players earning enough money to break even.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The International Tennis Federation last week announced a series of measures as part of its fight against corruption in the sport's lower levels.</p>