How Much Do Tennis Players Make: Smashing Their Way to Riches

In the 2022 US Open, Djokovic dominated and took home $9.9 million in prize money. On the other hand, Serena Williams and Roger Federer are among 2023’s Forbes 50 World’s Highest Paid Athletes.

Indeed, tennis has become one of the most well-paid sports in the world, ranking sixth. Tennis has grown popular worldwide, with over 1 billion fans watching their idols drive and smash the ball.

Find out in the following sections how much a tennis player makes in different categories.

Highlights of the Article

• Around 3,500-4,000, professional tennis players are earning money from tournaments.
• US Open has the highest prize pool and winner’s prize with $55 million and $3.8 million, respectively.
• Novak Djokovic earned $9,934,582 in 2022
• Highest-earning female tennis player in 2022 is Iga Swiatek, with $9,875,525 earned in prize money.
• Carlos Alvarez, the world’s top 1, earned $3.7 million as of May 2023.
• Belarusian female tennis athlete Aryna Sabalenka leads WTA as of May 2023, earning $4,300,463.
• 18 top male tennis players are from Italy; 25 top female tennis players are from the US
• Federer is the top 1 tennis player in earnings from endorsements, with $85 million.
• Wilson is the top sponsor of tennis, with 28 sponsorship deals.

Tennis Players Statistics Overview

There are around 87 million people who play tennis worldwide. However, only around 3,500 to 4,000 professional tennis players earn money. This count already includes ATP, WTA players, and lower-level pro athletes.

Professional tennis players earn from:

• Tournament prize money
• Tournament appearance fees
• Endorsement deals and sponsorships
• Exhibition fees, bonuses
• Club tennis deals

How much they earn is determined by their ranking, nationality, market popularity, and even their gender.

The next section will display how much players earn and compare earnings per rank to identify the disparities.

Statistics on Tennis Player Salary Per Tournament

One of the key income sources for professional tennis athletes is joining and winning tournaments. There are four major tennis competitions: the Australian Open, French Open , US Open, and Wimbledon.

Here are some insights regarding how much tennis players earn in these major tournaments.

1. The US Open has the greatest prize pool and winner’s award of any Grand Slam tournament in 2023.

(Silly Season)

The winners for Men’s and Women’s singles will take home a whopping $3.8 million prize in US Open 2023. This is the highest among the four major tennis competitions this year.

Listed are the prize pool and winner’s prizes in each major tournament in 2023.

2. Djokovic and Swiatek are 2022’s top earners for men’s and women’s tennis, respectively. 

(Tennis Majors)

Djokovic was on top of the men’s tennis category for the highest earnings. This is after he secured his seventh Wimbledon and sixth ATP finals titles, which garnered his total earnings of roughly $10 million.

Men’s Top Prize Money Earners in 2022 (ATP):

Women’s Top Prize Money Earners in 2022 (WTP):

Salary Statistics of Tennis Players Per Country

The per-country average income of tennis players does not reflect how much players earn. There is a massive gap in earnings between players based on their rankings.

You will discover exciting information regarding performance per country based on earnings and players who made it to the world’s top 200.

3. Italy and US have the most players in the top 200 ATP and WTA in 2023.

(Washington Post)

Regarding the number of players making it to the top 200 list, Italy ranks 1st in ATP with 18 players, and the US in WTA with 25 players.

Average earnings don’t show how much most tennis players earn in that country. The gap between each player’s earnings is huge, usually based on rankings.

ATP Rankings Top 20 Countries as of May 23, 2023

WTA Rankings Top 20 Countries as of May 23, 2023

4. Carlos Alcaraz ranks second in terms of earnings as of May 2023

(NY Times, Forbes)

World’s top tennis player, Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), earned $3.7 million as of May 2023. This is only second to Daniil Medvedev (Russia), who has earned $4.75 million. 

Despite being ranked 1 in 2022, the then 19-year-old Spanish player was only named that year’s 10th highest-paid tennis athlete. Being a rising star, Alcaraz still gets less off-court earnings than legends like Federer and Williams.

5. Belarusian female tennis star Aryna Sabalenka leads WTA as of May 2023, earning $4,300,463.

(NBC Sports, Boardroom)

WTA’s rank 1, Aryna Sabalenka earned the highest as of May 2023, earning approximately $4.3 million.

Sabalenka ended fifth in the 2022 WTA ranking but was only 8th in terms of winning. In 2023, she is head-to-head with Iga Swiatek, the world’s top 1 in 2022.

Other tennis players from Belarus who made it to the top list as of May 2023 are: 

• Victoria Azarenka ranked 10th
• Aliaksandra Sasnovich ranked 55th.

Tennis Player Salary on Endorsements

Endorsements are one of the top sources of tennis players’ income. As a matter of fact, only 16% of their earnings come from tournaments. The remaining 84% are from endorsements.

In 2022, tennis players in the top 15 of world rankings earned a combined income of $298 million from endorsements alone. This leaves tennis as one of the only sports in the world, aside from golf, where a player earns more from endorsements than tournament earnings.

Take a look at the statistics on how tennis has become a money-making machine for tennis players and top brands worldwide.

6. Federer still ranked 1 among tennis players in endorsement earnings in 2022.

(Regarding Luxury, How the play)

Despite Federer’s retirement in 2022, brands still partner up with the Swiss legend. Reportedly, he earned $90 million in endorsements from brands such as Rolex, Credit Suisse, and Uniqlo.

With over 100 career titles and 20 Grand Slam Singles titles, Federer is among the most successful tennis players. Amassing more than 11 million followers on his Instagram account alone, it is unsurprising that brands partner with him because of his success and fanbase. 

7. Wilson is the top tennis brand sponsor with 28 sponsorship deals.

(Global Data)

As of June 2022, Wilson, a sporting goods brand, has 28 sponsorship deals. This is the highest number of sponsorships across all brands.

Listed are the top brands sponsoring tennis:

1. Wilson – 28 deals
2. Nike – 23 deals
3. Rolex – 20 deals
4. Yonex – 14 deals
5. Babolat – 12 deals
6. Lacoste – 12 deals

The Bottomline

Unlike other sports that only happen in a particular season, tennis has an all-year-round of tournaments and activities. This is a win, especially for brands that want to get more exposure across different media. 

With nearly 90 million viewers for a single match, there is no doubt that brands would immediately go after athletes who gain a massive following from the sport to endorse their brand.

However, despite its popularity among viewers and enthusiasts, tennis players need to work twice as hard every day to win a tournament and later sign a luxury brand deal. Their income solely relies on their tournament winnings and endorsements.