French Open prize boost

The French Open has announced an increase in prize money to €39.2 million (around £34m).

The singles champions of the year’s second grand slam, which begins on 27 May, will each take home €2.2m (approximately £1.9m), up £100,000 from last year.

In keeping with the recent trend, the biggest increases are for the early-round losers.

The average rise across the three qualifying rounds is almost 20 per cent while players who are beaten in the first round will take home €40,000 (around £35,000), an increase of nearly 15 per cent.

The Australian Open’s prize fund this year was £30m, while last year Wimbledon paid out £31.6m and the US Open £35.7m.