Australian Open boosts prize money, most in tennis

Tournament director Craig Tiley said the $4.15 million increase announced Tuesday was the largest from one year to the next for the tournament and should attract the strongest available players.

Tiley also said he'd been in contact with Rafael Nadal, who indicated he was still targeting the Australian Open for his return to Grand Slam tennis from a left knee injury that has sidelined him since Wimbledon.

"Expect Rafa to be one of many great stories in January, including a formidable title defense from our brilliant reigning men's champion, Novak Djokovic, and some major challenges from the great Roger Federer, U.S. Open 2012 champion Andy Murray ...'' Tiley said in a statement.

Nadal also plans to play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi from Dec. 27-29, according to a statement released by organizers of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.

Nadal's spokesman, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the player is undergoing treatment for his injury "and hopefully he will be ready for'' Abu Dhabi and the Australian Open.

Nadal, an 11-time Grand Slam winner, partially tore the patella tendon in his left knee and hasn't played since losing in the second round of Wimbledon in June. Last week, Nadal said there was no timetable for his return, but that he was hopeful of playing in Australia.

Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood said the prize money boost would make the Australian Open in January the richest in tennis history.

"We have led the world in prize money for these incredible athletes,'' Wood said, "and we want to ensure that the Australian Open continues to make a major contribution to the financial well-being of professional tennis players.''

The move to increase prize money for the first tennis major of the year followed reports that some players were considering bypassing the tournament if the purse was not increased, particularly for losers in the early rounds.

"We're proud of the fact we've gone to record prize money,'' Tiley said. "We are supporting the lower-ranked players in their quest for compensation.''

Tiley said players were pleasantly surprised by the increase.

"They were appreciative that the Australian Open has again stepped up, given them the number and gone significantly higher than probably they were expecting,'' he said.

ATP Players Council, involving leading players including Roger Federer, raised concerns about funding levels and threatened action if those concerns weren't addressed.

The Players Council later played down a reported threat to boycott of the 2012 Australian Open. But the prize money announcement Tuesday was seen as pivotal in addressing player discontent.