Carlos Alcaraz is the leader in tennis winnings won this season with $21.36 million in on-court winnings. The Spaniard earned $5 million for winning the 2025 US Open, which at the time was the biggest win ever on the tour. Earlier this year, Alcaraz earned $2.9 million from his title run at the French Open and he won three Masters 1000 tournaments, banking more than $1 million at each event. At just 22 years old, Alcaraz is already fifth all-time in terms of ATP career prize money, with a total of over $60 million.
Jannik Sinner ranks second with $19.12 million in tournament winnings in 2025. The Italian won $2.2 million for his Victory at the Australian Open in January, then accepted a three-month ban in a regulation with the World Anti-Doping Agency which put its season on pause from February to April. He reached all four major finals, also winning the Wimbledon final to pocket more than 4 million dollars for this title. Sinner also won the $5.07 million grand prize at the ATP Finals in November, marking an ATP Tour record win.
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Aryna Sabalenka, the other singles winner in New York, ranks third with $15 million in winnings on the court so far this year. The world number 1 lost the finals of the Australian Open and French Open before emerging victorious at the US Open; she also won two WTA 1000 tournaments to increase her total winnings. Sabalenka is second all-time in WTA career awards, behind Serena Williams.
Totals for this season include payouts from the revamped US Open mixed doubles tournament, which featured several of the top men’s and women’s singles players and a a considerably increased prize pool. Casper Ruud, for example, earned $200,000 of his $4.17 million from this event.
The rankings, however, do not include exhibition tournaments such as the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from which Sinner earned $6 million in 2025.
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Once the 2025 season concludes, women occupy five of the top eight spots in the prize money rankings. Sinner and Alcaraz have been so dominant this season that it was difficult for the other men to separate themselves from the rest of the field.
The only remaining opportunity for players to earn more money will be the ATP bonus pools, usually distributed in December or January. The 30 men who have accumulated the most ranking points at Masters 1000 tournaments or ATP Finals in 2025 will share approximately $21 million, and there is a smaller bonus pool for top-performing players at ATP 500 events.
How do prize money work in tennis?
When tennis players compete in tournaments, they are paid based on the round in which they lose, with payouts increasing exponentially as the player continues to win. A first-round loser at the 2025 Miami Open received $23,760, while the tournament runner-up took home $598,000 and the champion took home $1.12 million.
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Singles draws generally pay out more money than doubles draws, but singles players also increase their winnings by participating in doubles events featuring both formats.
The money at stake in different tournaments varies considerably. Throughout the year, 250, 500 and 1000 level events are organized; the number refers to the number of ranking points winners receive. Tournaments with more points at stake generally pay out more money.
Which tennis tournament has the highest prize money?
The four major tournaments – the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open – award 2,000 ranking points. They also have larger handbags.
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For example, the 2025 US Open allocated $5 million to each singles winner, while the 2025 Winston-Salem Open, an ATP 250 event, distributed $109,640 to its champion the previous week. Many professionals also participate in the Challenger Tour, where players typically earn five figures for winning an event.
Although the ATP and WTA finals at the end of the calendar attract much less public attention than the major tournaments, they are extremely lucrative for the exclusive group of eight participants. In fact, the $5.07 million Sinner earned for winning the 2025 ATP Finals is almost the total he earned for winning the 2025 Australian Open ($2.15 million) and 2025 Wimbledon ($4.12 million) combined.
Do men earn more than women in tennis?
This year, 23 women and 30 men won at least $2 million. All four major tournaments have paid both sexes equally since 2007, but many marquee events in which men and women play simultaneously still pay men significantly more. For example, the Cincinnati Open paid approximately $9.2 million to male players in 2025 and only $5.2 million to female players, while price disparities in lower level tournaments it’s even worse.
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In 2022, Iga Świątek was so dominant on court that she almost became the first woman to be the highest-paid tennis player in a single season since 2003, when Kim Clijsters ($4.47 million) edged out Roger Federer ($4 million). By 2025, the pay gap between men and women at the top of sport has finally narrowed a little after widening in recent years. The top 10 men’s players collectively earned $87.8 million in 2025 before bonus payouts, just 23% more than the $71.3 million earned by the top 10 female players.
Across the global professional sports landscape, tennis still offers the greatest earning potential for women, with seven out of 10 highest paid female athletes in 2025, I played tennis. Many tournaments have committed to equal pay in the future, but there is still much work to be done to close the overall gap.
Men’s tennis stars also benefit significantly from ATP bonus pools, which share additional profits with the game’s top players, with payouts based on year-end rankings and participation in a certain number of 1,000-level tournaments. The pool grew to around $21 million in 2023, where it remained roughly through 2024 and 2025.
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Which tennis player has the most prize money?
For both sexes, tennis is financially dominated by the elites. This year, Alcaraz has earned more than five times that of the 10th highest-paid man, Rudd, and Sabalenka has earned more than five times that of the 10th highest-paid woman, Elise Mertens.
Both the ATP and WTA Finals generated purses exceeding $15 million this year. These tournaments only include the top eight players in the rankings, which contributes to the distribution of tennis’ highest prize money. These are essentially “rich get richer” events to close out the season.
Novak Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam tournaments as well as seven ATP Tour finals, with inflation giving him an extra boost over players of previous generations. He holds three of the top 10 prize money seasons of all time and has a $56 million lead over Rafael Nadal for the most career winnings. Djokovic’s lifetime prize money stands at $191 million.
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