CARY, North Carolina, Dec 13 — Prize money on the men’s tennis tour will for the first time reach US$100 million (RM348.4 million) in 2015, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said yesterday.

ATP World Tour purses will then climb even higher, to US$135 million by 2018, the ATP added in a news release.

The figures do not include grand slam events, which are not run by the ATP.

The biggest increases will be in the ATP Masters events, a series of nine tournaments that are next in terms of prestige to the four grand slams, with prize money rising 14 per cent annually through 2018.

“The increases at ATP events are a testament to the sustained success of men’s professional tennis, as well as demonstrating the ATP’s confidence in the strength of its product and projected growth,” the ATP added. — Reuters