In 1973, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to award equal prize money to men and women.
The tournament was still played on grass at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York. Its singles champions, John Newcombe and Margaret Court, each received $25,000. That equality applied to the championship prize and the corresponding rounds of the singles draws.
The milestone emerged during a period when women’s professional tennis players were challenging large pay gaps. Billie Jean King and the Original 9 had helped create stronger women’s events and a more organized professional circuit. The Women’s Tennis Association was founded the same year.
The other three majors followed much later. The Australian Open eventually restored equal prize money in 2001, while the French Open and Wimbledon reached full equality in 2007. Equal prize money concerns tournament compensation; it does not mean every event or era offered identical earnings.