Federer welcomes Aussie Open boost

7 Oct 2012, 8:22 pm   -   Source: AAP

Roger Federer says only time will tell if the Australian Open prize money increase is enough to appease disgruntled players.

Roger Federer has cautiously welcomed a move by the Australian Open to boost prize money but said he was not sure it was significant enough to quell player unrest in a long-running row.

The organisers of the season-opening major announced last week that the total purse would rise by $4 million to a record $30 million ($US30.5 million).

Speaking a day after a players' meeting on the eve of the Shanghai Masters, the Swiss world No.1 welcomed communication between players and the grand slams but said "nothing is clear from this end".

"It was good to see the Australian Open making their move, showing that they truly care about us, the players. Now we'll see where it takes us from here," said Federer, president of the ATP player council.

When asked whether the decision had given the players leverage with the other grand slams - the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open - Federer said "we'll see".

"The question is, are we that extremely happy with the Australian Open? It was nice to see they have made a move. Is it significant enough? I'm not sure. We'll see how things play out in the next nine months."

Federer's comments come after those of Serbian world No.2 Novak Djokovic, who last week welcomed the bigger purse but warned that the fight for a greater share of revenue was not over.

The prize money increase followed reports that players were mulling a boycott of the 2013 Australian Open to try to gain a higher percentage of grand slam revenues for themselves.

One issue is the pay of lower-ranked players, who often exit in the first round.

While this year they pocketed $20,800 for a first-round defeat in Melbourne, some players struggle to make ends meet during the year as they pay for much of their own expenses and travel.

Without a high profile they are also unable to score lucrative sponsorships.

Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood said officials were seeking further input from the players about a fairer distribution of the prize money.

Australian Open director Craig Tiley said the prize money break-up would be determined after he met players' representatives in Shanghai.

But he said the increases would be weighted towards those who lose in the early rounds.

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