Top 10 tennis players with highest prize money

Tennis professionals are some of the highest earners in the world. There are various ways through which a tennis player can earn money. This includes brand endorsements, sponsorship, advertisements, business ventures, etc. However, prize money also plays an important role in the aggregate income of a player.

The prize money includes the money he or she gets for participating in each tournament but also for winning it. The Grand Slams, the ATP Finals, and the WTA Finals boast the highest prize money that can be awarded to a player. But other tennis tournaments also award money to each participant.

Hence, a player in his career can earn millions through prize money. Here is a list of both male and female tennis players and their ranking based on the total prize money they have earned over the years.

10. Simona Halep

Simona Halep may have only two Grand Slam titles to her name, but she has earned approximately $40 million in her short career. She had been out of action for quite some time as she has been alleged to be taking performance-enhancing substances.

However, her four-year suspension was taken back by the tennis authorities in March 2024. By then, she was cleared to return to competition. Her first tournament coming back was at Miami, where she received a wildcard. She will compete in the qualifiers of the 2025 Australian Open.

9. Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev remarkably didn’t win any ATP titles during 2024. However, that didn’t affect his earnings, as he continued to make a significant amount, especially by being part of the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia this year. The Russian has earned $41 million throughout his career.

Medvedev’s highest earnings in a single year were $11,548,023, which he achieved during the 2023 season. The Russian has won 20 ATP titles, including the 2021 US Open, the 2020 ATP Finals, and six Masters 1000 tournaments.

8. Venus Williams

Venus Williams is ranked seventh on this list with approximately $42 million. She has won seven majors in her career, but unlike Serena Williams, who was 42 years old, she is still going strong. Venus has won seven Grand Slam titles and collected 49 WTA singles titles.

7. Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras is one of the greats of yesteryears. He won 14 Majors in his long and illustrious career. But surprisingly, he also gets a high spot in the list of players with the highest prize money earned. He earned almost $43 million in his career and is ranked sixth on this list.

6. Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev is the only player on this list who has not reached the world No. 1 ranking or claimed a Grand Slam title. However, the two-time ATP Finals champion has enough credit in his bank account to sit in the top 10 of the highest-paid tennis players in history. Zverev has earned almost $44 million throughout the course of his career.

His best season for earnings came in 2018 when he earned $8,706,298 from his on-court achievements. The German has won 22 singles titles throughout his career, including two ATP Finals championships and six Masters 1000 titles. In 2024, he reached his second career Grand Slam final at Roland Garros, losing narrowly to Carlos Alcaraz.

5. Andy Murray

Andy Murray ranks fifth on the list. He has earned almost $65 million in prize money. Murray joined a huge list of players, including Rafael Nadal, to retire from professional tennis in 2024. The former British No.1 played his last match with Dan Evans at the Paris Olympics. Remarkably, Murray wasn’t away from the ATP Tour for long as he officially signed up as the new coach of Novak Djokovic during the build-up to the 2025 Australian Open.

4. Serena Williams

Serena Williams ranks highest in terms of the number of Grand Slam titles. Her 23 Majors beats The Big Three record. She ranks fourth on the list of players with the highest prize money. Like Roger Federer, Williams retired in 2022 at the US Open, shortly before the Swiss Maestro’s announcement. She has earned almost $95 million in her long and illustrious career.

3. Roger Federer

Swiss legend Roger Federer has retired from the sport more than two years ago. However, his earnings and wealth he got till the end of his career is good enough to make him finish in the top 3. The Swiss Maestro earned approximately $131 million in 2022. He won 103 titles in his career which includes 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Moreover, the introduction of the Laver Cup in 2017 has also been influential in his career earnings.

2. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal sits second on our list. The Spaniard’s long and prolific career came at the end this year at the conclusion of Spain’s Davis Cup. His history-making career has earned him almost $135 million. The Spaniard announced his retirement in October after missing a major chunk of the 2024 season due to his inability to recover from the hip surgery he sustained last year. He also missed out on playing in the Laver Cup, where many expected him to retire just like his great rival, Roger Federer.

Nadal played only one Grand Slam match in 2024, which came in a straight-set defeat to Alexander Zverev in the opening round at Roland Garros. The Spaniard’s only ATP Final this year came at the Swedish Open.

1. Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic tops this list with almost $184 million. This is a major part of his income, as unlike Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams, he earns less in terms of brand endorsements. However, the Swiss and the American retired in 2022, and the Spaniard retired this year. The Serbian is still going strong with 24 Grand Slam titles to his name and hopes to add a lot more.

Rank	Player	Prize Money earned
1	Novak Djokovic (Serbia)	$184 million
2	Rafael Nadal (Spain)	$135 million
3	Roger Federer (Switzerland)	$131 million
4	Serena Williams (the USA)	$95 million
5	Andy Murray (Great Britain)	$65 million
6	Alexander Zverev (Germany)	$44 million
7	Pete Sampras (the USA)	$43 million
8	Venus Williams (the USA)	$42 million
9	Daniil Medvedev (Russia)	$41 million
10	Simona Halep (Romania)	$40 million