Tennis: ATP announces substantial prize money increase

Annual prize money increases for ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and 250-level events were confirmed on Friday.

The purses for the nine Masters 1000 events - held in Cincinnati, Indian Wells, Madrid, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Paris, Rome, Shanghai and Toronto - will rise by 14 per cent for each of the next four years.

During the same period, prize money at ATP 250 events is set to rise at an average of 3.5 per cent per year.

As a result, overall player compensation will reach $135m by 2018.

In a statement confirming the news, the ATP said: "The increases at ATP events are a testament to the sustained success of men's professional tennis, as well as demonstrating the ATP's confidence in the strength of its product and projected growth in future years."