On Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina will compete for the 2018 US Open title.
Djokovic, 31, is looking to collect his 14th Grand Slam title, while del Potro, 29, is hoping to win his second.
And $3.8 million is on the line. That's the most lucrative payout in tennis history, and a $100,000 increase from last year. The runner-up will take home a check for $1.85 million.
The winnings are much higher than in 1968, the start of tennis' professional era. The first U.S. Open awarded a total of $100,000 in prize money. Only 6 percent of that, $6,000, went to the women's champion, Virginia Wade. Arthur Ashe, the men's champion, was slated to earn $14,000. Yet because of his amateur status, Ashe brought home just a $20 per diem.
Since then, the prize money has skyrocketed. The champions earned six figures for the first time in 1983 ($120,000), and seven figures for the first time in 2003 ($1,000,000).
At the 2018 US Open, $53 million will be awarded in total, making it the richest purse in tennis history.
It's not just Djokovic and del Potro who will be taking home a hefty paycheck. Here's the full breakdown of how much the other singles competitors earned at this year's Open:
Semifinalist: $925,000
Quarterfinalist: $475,000
Round of 16: $266,000
Round of 32: $156,000
Round of 64: $93,000
Round of 128: $54,000
Don't miss: The 2018 US Open pays the most in tennis history—here's how much the women's champ will earn
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