Forbes revealed the 10 highest-paid tennis players currently, with Carlos Alcaraz leading the list and four women included. In total, the top 10 best-paid players earned nearly $246 million in the last 12 months, though far from the $343 million in 2020, when Serena Williams and Roger Federer accounted for more than $140 million of the total.
Some changes are evident compared to previous years. The current average age is 26 years, with only Djokovic and Rafael Nadal over 30, while in 2020, the average age was just under 30. No one has yet reached the approximately $90 million Federer earned in 2022, but Alcaraz's $42.3 million is the highest total for a non-Big 3 player since Naomi Osaka.
The four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz leads the list thanks to the significant sponsorships he has secured early in his career. Earlier this year, he starred alongside Rafa Nadal in the Netflix Slam, and the American network plans to release a documentary about him next year. The Spaniard earned $10 million on the court and another $32 million off the court.
He is followed by the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, recent gold medalist in Paris 2024, who maintains lucrative sponsorships with companies like Asics, Head, Hublot, and Lacoste.
Rounding out the podium is the first woman on the list and the youngest person in the top 10, the 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff. Since the beginning of her career at just 14 years old, the American has attracted public and brand attention, but her definitive leap came after winning her first Grand Slam title. Today, she is sponsored by Rolex, Ray-Ban, Bose, New Balance, and others.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and the male No. 1 Jannik Sinner are also on the list, with nearly equal earnings: the Polish player at $26.7 million and the Italian at $26.6 million. Unlike the top three spots, Sinner and Swiatek have earned more than 43% of their earnings on the court, while other players have built much more wealth through sponsorship deals.
The rest of the top 10 includes Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Naomi Osaka, Casper Ruud, and Aryna Sabalenka.
1. Alcaraz, 42.3M
2. Djokovic, 37.2
3. Gauff, 27.1
4. Swiatek, 26.7
5. Sinner, 26.6
6. Nadal, 23.3
7. Medvedev, 20.3
8. Osaka, 14.6
9. Ruud, 13.9
10. Sabalenka, 13.7