Tennis is a sport where wins grant professional players not only ranking points, but prize money that is extortionate in value and exponential growth. It also comes with a handful of well-paid opportunities, from sponsorships to documentaries.
Grand Slams aren’t shy about the depth of their pockets; Wimbledon saw a record of £50 million for 2024, Roland Garros totalled at $53.5 million, the US Open with $75 million, and the Australian Open with $AU 86.5 million.
Overall, the sport’s 10 highest-earning players collected an estimated $246 million in the last year. While the number doesn’t beat the record set in 2020, which included now-retired legends Roger Federer and Serena Williams – who respectively earned $142 million of that total between them, it does smash the number set in 2023 of $196 million by 26%.
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10 highest-paid tennis players of 2024 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Position |
Player |
On-court earnings |
Off-court earnings |
Total earnings |
|
10. |
Aryna Sabalenka |
$6.7 million |
$7 million |
$13.7 million |
|
9. |
Casper Ruud |
$3.9 million |
$10 million |
$13.9 million |
|
8. |
Naomi Osaka |
$0.6 million |
$14 million |
$14.6 million |
|
7. |
Daniil Medvedev |
$7.3 million |
$13 million |
$20.3 million |
|
6. |
Rafael Nadal |
$0.3 million |
$23 million |
$23.3 million |
|
5. |
Jannik Sinner |
$11.6 million |
$15 million |
$26.6 million |
|
4. |
Iga Swiatek |
$11.7 million |
$15 million |
$26.7 million |
|
3. |
Coco Gauff |
$7.1 million |
$20 million |
$27.1 million |
|
2. |
Novak Djokovic |
$12.2 million |
$25 million |
$37.2 million |
|
1. |
Carlos Alcaraz |
$10.3 million |
$32 million |
$42.3 million |
Despite missing both this year’s Wimbledon and the Olympics with a shoulder injury, Sabalenka’s second consecutive Australian Open championship in January saw her collect a healthy dose of prize money. Returning to the courts in recent weeks saw her claim the title at the Cincinnati Open and climb back up to No.2 in the singles rankings, where she heads into the US Open as favourite. Work away from the court has seen her feature in endorsements with Masters & Dynamic headphones and Oakberry, an açaí bowl chain.
Rudd, confident on all surfaces, is the only man aged 25 or younger with at least 100 career wins on both clay and hard courts. This year’s tennis calendar saw him earn his 12th ATP Tour title in Geneva, but illness prevented him increasing that number. Away from tennis, the Norwegian is rich in sponsorships, which feature Fleming watches, Renault, and Swedish bank Handelsbaken.
After taking time away from tennis to have her first child in 2022, Osaka made her return in January. Before her break, she found great form, which saw her win the US Open in both 2018 and 2020. In 2024, however, after time away, her ranking dropped to 85, and her entry to the US Open was via wildcard. Osaka has several new partnerships to her name with the likes of Maybelline and Etsy. She also has a production company, Hana Kuma, which is developing an adult anime TV series, where she will be the lead voice actor and an executive producer.
Medvedev, despite having only one Grand Slam title to his name, has reached five major finals, including the Australian Open earlier this year. Success also branched out to his team winning the World Tennis League, which featured several other tennis stars, and is expected to feature at an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia later this year. Away from the court, Medvedev has partnerships with gaming giants EA Sport and Ubisoft, and just last year he joined the ownership team of eSports group M80.
Tennis legend Nadal is still going, aged 38, despite withdrawing from Wimbledon and the US Open this year. Just this month, he participated in the Olympics, pairing up with Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles, yet across the last 19 months, has just made six ATP Tour event appearances. Despite his lack of time on-court, Nadal’s illustrious career has set his finances in stone, where sponsorships for him are plenty. The 22-time Grand Slam winner has successful relationships with the likes of Kia, was named ambassador for the Saudi Arabian tennis federation, and also has his own long-standing tennis academy.
Despite claiming the title at this year’s Indian Wells, Sinner was forced to return prize money and ranking points earned due twice failing doping tests. Before the incident, Sinner won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and is ranked at world No.1 in the men’s singles. A win at last month’s Cincinnati Open is turning heads towards his chances at the US Open. Away from tennis, Sinner has sponsorships with Lavazza coffee, Rolex, and Gucci, where he has been the face of campaigns.
Swiatek’s fourth consecutive title win at Roland Garros and an Olympic bronze medal cemented her consistent form for 2024. Her Olympic win not only saw silverware, but a healthy $50,000 bonus from her country, Poland, to add to her over $11 million prize money earned in the last year. Despite the staggering figure, Swiatek’s success highlights the disparity in pay between men and women in tennis; at the Italian Open, Swiatek made $700,000 for the title while men’s winner Alexander Zverev claimed $1.5 million. Away from tennis, she has sponsorships with Lancôme and Lego.
Gauff is the highest-earning female tennis player, which on-court has seen success come from winning the US Open in 2023 and doubles at this year’s Roland Garros. Such form sees Gauff ranked third in the women’s singles. Away from tennis, she is making a name for herself; most recently she was an Olympic flag-bearer for Team USA alongside LeBron James. She has several partnerships with the likes of Naked Brand Juices, and has been the face of campaigns for New Balance.
Djovokic is the record-holder for the most Grand Slam titles with 24, having overtaken Rafael Nafal’s 22, and is currently ranked No.2 in the ATP rankings. Despite coming runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at this year’s Wimbledon, the Serb went on to beat his opponent in a rematch at the Paris Olympics, claiming gold and a $218,000 bonus from Serbia. Away from tennis, Djokovic is rich in sponsorships from popular brands Asics, Lacoste, Hublot, and Waterdrop. Earlier this month, it was announced that discussions about building a Djokovic museum in Belgrade, Serbia, are ongoing.
Aged just 21, Alcaraz is taking tennis by storm with a number of Grand Slam titles in his portfolio. 2024 saw him claim the top spot at Roland Garros and, for the second year running, Wimbledon. Earlier this month saw him claim a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in the singles and reaching the quarter-finals with idol and one-time doubles partner Rafael Nadal. Away from tennis, Alcaraz has partnerships with Rolex and Nike, faced a campaign for clothing giants Calvin Klein, and will be dominating screens in a Netflix docuseries set to stream in 2025.
