The French Open will pay its 2012 singles champions 1.25 million euros ($1.65 million) each in prize money and targeted more cash at early round losers. Total prize money for the only clay-court Grand Slam event beginning May 27 in Paris will be 18.7 million euros, a 1.2 million-euro increase from the 2011 edition, organizer Federation Francaise de Tennis announced in a statement.

Players making an early exit at the second Grand Slam event of the season will get more money this year, with losers in the qualifying round up to the third round of the main draw getting a pay increase of between 10 and 20 percent. The singles champions will receive a 4 percent rise in prize money.

Players on the men’s tour have been fighting for a greater share of the revenue generated by the sport’s four biggest tournaments. American John Isner, who ranked at No.10 on the ATP charts said at January’s Australian Open that players had a “legitimate beef” about the amount of prize money on offer at the majors.