A wet Billie Jean King National Tennis Center court

With the US Open getting underway next week we thought it only apt that we dig out a few stats and facts to whet your tennis lips ahead of the 4th Grand Slam of the year.

US Open 2009 prize money (Men & Women)

Winners – $1,600,000
Runners-up – $800,000
Semi finalists – $350,000
Quarter finalists – $175,000
Round of 16 – $85,000
Round of 32 – $48,000
Round of 64 – $31,000
Round of 128 – $19,000

Winner of most US Open men’s singles titles

Before 1968:

7 – Richard Sears / Bill Larned / Bill Tilden

After 1967:

5 – Jimmy Connors / Pete Sampras / Roger Federer

Winner of most US Open women’s singles titles

Before 1968:

8 – Molla Bjurstedt Mallory

After 1967:

6 – Chris Evert

Calendar-year Grand Slams

Maureen Connolly (USA) – 1953
Margaret Court (AUS) – 1970
Steffi Graf (GER) – 1988

Most Grand Slam singles titles (all time)

Men -

1 Roger Federer (SUI) – 15

2 Pete Sampras (USA) – 14

3 Roy Emerson (AUS) – 12

4 Rodney “Rod” Laver (AUS) – 11

4 Björn Borg (SWE) – 11

Top Brit –

7 Fred Perry (GBR) – 8

Women –

1 Margaret Court (AUS) – 24

2 Steffi Graf (GER) – 22

3 Helen Wills Moody (USA) -19

4 Chris Evert (USA) – 18

4 Martina Navratilova (CZE / USA) – 18

Top Brit –

12 Dorothea Douglass (GBR) – 7

Oldest winners of a tennis title

Billie Jean King, 39 yrs, 7 mos, 23 days (1983 Birmingham)
Martina Navratilova, 37 yrs, 4 mos, 2 days (1994 Paris Indoors)
Margaret Court, 34 yrs, 4 mos, 26 days (1976 Melbourne)

Youngest winners of a tennis title

Tracy Austin, 14 yrs, 28 days (1977 Portand)
Andrea Jaeger, 14 yrs, 7 mos, 14 days (1980 Las Vegas)
Kathy Rinaldi, 14 yrs, 6 mos, 24 days (1981 Kyoto)