신네르 빠지고 알카라스 돌아왔다…US오픈 75억원 상금 주인공은?

The US Open, the final tennis Grand Slam of the year, concludes on the 30th of this month (local time) at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. This year, predicting either the men's or women's singles champion is difficult. World number one seed Jannik Sinner (Italy) has been sidelined with a knee injury, while Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returned to the court after a shoulder injury last year.

Novak Djokovic will attempt to claim his 25th Major title. The biggest question mark remains Alcaraz, who has returned from a four-month absence due to a wrist injury and reached the quarterfinals in the mixed doubles. His first match in the singles was a tight battle against Siri and Williams of the United States, where he advanced to the round of 8. However, the transition to singles proved more challenging than the doubles.

A major hurdle is French player Arthur Djokovic, who recently won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Paris. Home favorites to watch include American Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, who reached the French Open and Wimbledon finals respectively, and Alexander Zverev (Germany), who advanced to the French Open and Wimbledon finals last year. Russian champion Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 champion, is also a strong contender.

Novak Djokovic, 39, has not won a major tournament since the 2023 US Open. However, his ability to withstand long rallies on hard courts during the latter part of the summer will be crucial. In the women's singles, the most intriguing story is the return of defending champion Arina Sabalenka (Belarus) and the quest for Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) to reclaim the world number one ranking.

If Rybakina reaches the final, she would still secure the world number one spot. Even if Sabalenka, Jelena Ostapenko, Coco Gauff, or any other player defeats her in the first round, she would still become the world number one. Meanwhile, the total prize money for the 2023 US Open is a record-breaking $180 million, a 20% increase from last year.

The men's and women's singles champions each earn $5.5 million (75 million won). Even losers in the first round receive $140,000 (1.92 million won).