By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 23, 2021
The Miami Open, in an attempt to protect its bottom line while still running the tournament in 2021, has slashed its prize money significantly.
According to Simon Cambers of Tennis Majors, Miami will offer $300,110 to the winners of the men’s and women’s singles, far less than the $1.354,000 offered to singles champions in 2019.
Cambers reports that total prize money at the Miami Open will drop from $16.7 million in 2019 to $6.68 million ($3.34 million for each of the ATP and WTA events) in 2021.
Prize money breakdown for @MiamiOpen singles events:
•Winners: $300,110
•Runners-up: $165,000
•Semi-finalists: $93,000
•Quarter-finalists: $65,000
•Round 4: $40,000
•Round 3: $26,000
•Round 2: $16,000
•Round 1: $10,000— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) February 23, 2021
At last check, the tournament hopes to host fans to about 20 percent capacity. The Miami Open is expecting to have 750 fans on the grounds per session for this year’s tournament, and spectators will be allowed to watch matches on the showcase court, organizers announced last week.
The showcase matches will be held in the 5,000-seat grandstand, instead of its stadium court, but seating will be limited to 15 percent capacity due to COVID-19 protocols.
In total, the tournament expects to host less than 20,000 spectators in 2021, a far cry from the over 380,000 that passed through the gates when the tournament was last held in 2019.