Carlos Alcaraz was forced to skip the French Open and Wimbledon this year, as he recovers from a wrist injury. The Spanish tennis pro had won the last two French Opens and made three straight All England Finals, including two titles, but he will have to wait to add a third that would tie John McEnroe and Boris Becker for the most Wimbledon wins during the Open era.
Yet, Alcaraz does finish on top of Sportico’s look at the highest-paid tennis players over the past year, despite being sidelined for the past two-and-a-half months. Alcaraz earned an estimated $62.9 million, including $44 million from endorsements and appearance fees. He finished a tick ahead of Jannik Sinner at $59 million.
The Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry has dominated men’s tennis the past three years, following two decades of the Big Three hogging 66 of 81 the Grand Slam events between 2003 and 2023. Alcaraz and Sinner won nine straight Slams before Alexander Zverev stopped their run at the 2026 French Open. At 23 (Alcaraz) and 24 (Sinner), they already rank fifth and sixth in ATP career prize money—Zverev nudged past them at Roland Garros, with all three around $65 million.
While men nab the first two slots, women dominate the rest of the way, with six in the top 10. Coco Gauff ($40.3 million) and Serena Williams ($40 million) also topped $40 million, with both of their earnings profiles overwhelmingly from off-the-court deals. Williams’ estimated earnings are higher than when she was playing tennis full-time.
Tennis is the only major professional sport where women stack up near par with men when it comes to earnings. WTA Tour prize money trails the ATP, but the money is the same at the Slams and Masters 1000 events. On the sponsor front, seven women earned at least $10 million off the court, including Naomi Osaka and Alex Eala, who both finished outside the top 10.
The top 10 tennis players collectively earned $344 million, up 26.5% from last year’s $272 million. Marketing dollars are up across the board for players at the top, and the return of Williams, who lost her first match Tuesday, after a nearly four-year absence also boosted the gain.
The biggest money in tennis is off the court, as sponsors look to appeal to a wealthy, global fan case ready to spend money on apparel, equipment, financial services, cars and watches.
Alcaraz earned an estimated $44 million from sponsors, appearance fees and licensing, as the price tag to align yourself with the sport’s biggest star on the men’s side soared in recent years. He now has more than 10 endorsement partners, including an eight-figure per annum deal with Nike, which is the most lucrative agreement in his portfolio. In May, he signed with Ant International and will appear in ad campaigns across the Singapore-based firm, including for Alipay+, Antom and WorldFirst.
Willams shocked the tennis world with her return to the sport in June after last playing at the 2022 U.S. Open. She remained a popular pitch-woman in “retirement” with more than 10 brand deals, including Lincoln, Barbie, Heineken, Nike and Ro. Here brands benefit from an Instagram account with 18 million followers. Williams’ huge off-court earnings are boosted by speaking engagements that can command seven figures. She won $8,975 in prize money during her first two grass-court doubles events this year.
The Top 10 Highest-Paid Tennis Players
1. Carlos Alcaraz: $62.9 million
Prize Money: $18.9 million | Endorsements: $44 million | Age: 23
Since the start of 2022, Alcaraz has won 25 titles, including seven Grand Slam events on his way to becoming the youngest man in history to win the career Grand Slam, which he did at the 2026 Australian Open. His 87.5% winning percentage in Slam finals is the best of any player over the past 60 years with at least four wins.
2. Jannik Sinner: $59 million
Prize Money: $29 million | Endorsements: $30 million | Age: 24
Since the start of 2024, Sinner has won 19 ATP events and lost only 15 matches, while earning $46 million in official prize money. In addition, he pocketed a pair of $6 million-plus paydays for winning the last two Six Kings Slam exhibition events in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—Sportico splits the pay between prize money and endorsements, as part of money is an appearance fee. The Italian pro has more than a dozen endorsement partners, including Nike, Rolex, Head, Gucci and Lavazza.
3. Coco Gauff: $40.3 million
Prize Money: $5.3 million | Endorsements: $35 million | Age: 22
Gauff’s WTA ranking has dipped to No. 7 after being in the top three for almost all of 2025, but she continues to be a marketing star, adding new deals with Chase Bank and Miu Miu. She has more than 10 other endorsement partners, including Baker Tilly, Bose, Fanatics, Head, New Balance and Rolex. Last year, she added a second Grand Slam to her résumé with a French Open title, on top of her 2023 U.S. Open win.
4. Serena Williams: $40 million
Prize Money: $8,975 | Endorsements: $40 million | Age: 44
Williams’ career prize money of $94.8 million is still nearly twice as much as anyone else, with Aryna Sabalenka up next at $49.9 million for women pro tennis players. Serena has also made more than $400 million off the court since she turned pro in 1995. Willams has been a prolific investor via Serena Ventures, which she founded in 2014, and she has personal sports investments in the Miami Dolphins, Toronto Tempo, Angel City FC and Los Angeles Golf Club.
5. Aryna Sabalenka: $35.9 million
Prize Money: $13.9 million | Endorsements: $22 million | Age: 28
Sabalenka has been ranked No. 1 for 89 weeks going into Wimbledon. She has dominated the sport in recent years, including 20 event finals, with 11 wins since the start the 2024, and she won $15 million in prize money last year—a WTA record. She added Gucci, Stella Artois, Emirates Airlines and Material Good to her endorsement roster this year, and her earnings jumped from exhibitions in Atlanta, New York and Dubai for an updated “Battle of the Sexes.” Sabalenka’s 5.4 million Instagram followers rank second in women’s tennis behind Williams, who is tops among active women’s tennis players.
6. Novak Djokovic: $25.6 million
Prize Money: $4.6 million | Endorsements: $21 million | Age: 39
Djokovic’s playing resume is unmatched, with ATP records for Grand Slam titles (24), weeks at No. 1 (428) and career prize money ($193 million). He ranked in the top 4 for a staggering 829 weeks, or three weeks shy of 16 years. With his eye on life after tennis, Djokovic’s latest off-court move is joining private equity firm General Atlantic as a global strategic advisor.
7. Qinwen Zheng: $24.6 million
Prize Money: $568,000 | Endorsements: $24 million | Age: 23
Injuries have hampered Zheng over the past year after her breakout 2024 that included her first Slam final at the Australian Open and an Olympic gold medal—the first by an Asian tennis player, male or female, in singles. The Olympic gold triggered an avalanche of deals; new additions include Turkish Airlines and Alibaba AI platform Qwen.
8. Iga Świątek: $22.8 million
Prize Money: $8.8 million | Endorsements: $14 million | Age: 25
The Polish-born Świątek finished second in the year-end WTA rankings behind Sabalenka for the second straight season, and she also sits just behind her at third for career prize money ($46 million). Świątek has been world No. 1 for a total of 125 weeks, which leads active players and is seventh all-time. Over the last nine months, she added deals with Oral-B and luxury brand Coach.
9. Alexander Zverev: $16.7 million
Prize Money: $10.7 million | Endorsements: $6 million | Age: 29
Zverev shed the label of best men’s player to never win a Slam at the 2026 French Open, unlocking a lucrative bonus from longtime partner Adidas. Despite the breakthrough, the German pro’s sponsor profile is still hampered by multiple domestic abuse allegations.
10. Elena Rybakina: $16.3 million
Prize Money: $11.3 million | Endorsements: $5 million | Age: 27
The 2022 Wimbledon champion added a second Slam to her resume at the Australian Open in January, triggering bonuses from racket and apparel partner Yonex. The world’s second-ranked player won the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2025, earning $5.23 million after going 5-0 at the event featuring the top eight women. It was the largest payout in the history of women’s sports, according to the WTA.
Methodology
Sportico’s earnings estimates cover the 12 months from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Prize money includes the ATP bonus pool. Sportico estimated off-court earnings through conversations with people familiar with tennis endorsement deals. Endorsement income includes sponsor bonuses, appearance fees, licensing, royalties, memorabilia, media and businesses tied to athletes’ celebrity. Figures are before taxes and agent fees and exclude equity stakes and investment income.
