Record prize money for 2011 Australian Open

The 2011 Australian Open will offer a record prize money of $25 million, a rise of 3.8% on 2010.

The tennis calendar's first showpiece of the season will see Rafa Nadal bid for a non-calendar grand slam.

The men's and women's winners in Melbourne will each receive $2.2 million. Nadal and Kim Clijsters each earned $1.7 million for their US Open victories last month.

Speaking of Nadal's challenge, Tournament Director Craig Tiley explained "it is a mouth-watering proposition, and he certainly will be one of the favourites, but I think Rafa himself would be the first to point out that at the moment it is all just speculation and there are a lot of tough opponents, including the reigning champion Roger Federer, standing between him and that place in history."

The Australian Open takes place from 17th to 30th January 2011. The grand slam's organisers also announced a 10-year extension of their TV rights deal with sports network ESPN covering North and South America.