The 2025 Tennis Earnings Rankings are out! Zheng Qinwen ranks third among women, with Sinner and Alcaraz dominating the top two spots.

In the last year, the top ten earners in tennis have made a combined $272 million (prize money plus endorsements). Among them are four female players representing eight nations.

For the past twenty years, men’s tennis was ruled by the “Big Three” — Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal — who won 66 out of 81 Grand Slams between 2003 and 2023. Now, men’s tennis has entered a “duo era,” with Sinner and Alcaraz sharing the last seven Grand Slam titles and emerging as the leading favorites to lift the US Open trophy in New York. This week, they met for the fourth time this year in the Cincinnati Masters final, where Sinner retired mid-match against Alcaraz.

The slight gap between these two is reflected not only on the court but also in their bank accounts. According to Sportico’s estimates, Sinner earned a total of $52.3 million over the past 12 months, making him the highest-paid tennis player worldwide, slightly ahead of Alcaraz’s $49 million (including prize money, endorsements, bonus pools, and appearance fees).

In recent years, prize money for tours and Grand Slams has risen significantly. This year, the US Open prize pool reached $90 million, up 57% from six years ago; both men’s and women’s champions received $5 million each. Alcaraz’s victory in Cincinnati pushed his 2025 season prize money over $10 million, marking his fourth consecutive year achieving this, second only to Djokovic’s nine times.

However, as the “Big Three” have demonstrated, off-court earnings constitute the largest share. Thanks to tennis’s global reach and its highly affluent audience, sponsors are willing to invest heavily. Alcaraz’s off-court income over the past 12 months is estimated at $36 million, three times his prize money, ranking first in tennis. The “Big Three” have earned a combined $1.9 billion off-court, four times their total prize winnings.

Alcaraz is viewed by sponsors as the next tennis superstar. Nike renewed his contract in 2023, with annual salary and bonuses exceeding $10 million. His other partners include LVMH, Rolex, BMW, Perrier, Calvin Klein, sunscreen brand ISDIN, and Brazil’s Itaú Bank. Recently, he signed with French food giant Danone, endorsing brands such as Evian.

Sinner has over ten sponsors, including Nike, Lavazza, Head, Rolex, Italian pasta brand De Cecco, and L’Oréal. This year, he was suspended for three months after testing positive twice for banned substances in 2024; the anti-doping agency accepted his explanation that it resulted from a therapist’s misuse of medication sprayed on a hand wound before massage, leading to a reduced penalty. Sponsors continued to support him during the ban. Over the past year, he earned $27.3 million in prize money, including a $5 million winner’s prize and a seven-figure appearance fee from the Saudi “Six Kings Cup” exhibition — more than twice Alcaraz’s prize money.

Gauff is one of the four women on the list. Tennis remains the only professional sport with nearly equal earnings for men and women. Although WTA tour prize money is still lower than ATP’s, Grand Slam and Masters 1000 events offer equal prize money. In off-court earnings, at least five female players exceed $10 million, including Naomi Osaka who narrowly missed the top ten; by contrast, only four active male players reach that level.

The 21-year-old Gauff is poised to be the highest-earning female athlete worldwide for the third consecutive year, having surpassed Eileen Gu on the 2024 list. In April this year, Gauff announced a partnership with agency WME to establish “Coco Gauff Enterprises” for managing her career. WME provides representation and support but holds no equity. Previously, she was represented by Federer’s Team8 since turning pro at 14.

Gauff’s most valuable endorsement comes from New Balance. The Boston-based brand signed her at age 14 and renewed the contract in 2022, making it one of the richest deals in women’s tennis. Her sponsorship portfolio also includes L’Oréal, UPS, Head, Bai, Baker Tilly, Bose, Rolex, and juice brand Naked.

The player with the largest increase is Zheng Qinwen. Last year she was far outside the top ten, but now ranks sixth with $22.3 million. Her 2024 prize money reached $5.6 million, triple the previous year, but the biggest breakthrough came off-court. Zheng won two WTA titles in 2024 and reached finals in three events including the Australian Open. Her milestone achievement was winning the Paris Olympic gold medal, becoming the first Asian tennis player to do so, triggering huge bonuses in sponsorship contracts and attracting many new endorsements. China’s vast market has rapidly boosted her commercial value.

Overall, the top ten highest earners in tennis for 2025 took home $272 million, a 13% increase from last year. Of this, 35% came from prize money and 65% from endorsements, bonuses, and appearance fees. The statistics cover September 2024 to August 2025, with prize money including ATP bonuses. Off-court income estimates by Sportico are based on interviews with insiders; all figures are pre-tax and exclude agent fees.

Top 10 Highest-Earning Tennis Players in 2025

1. Sinner: $52.3 million

Prize Money: $27.3 million | Endorsements: $25 million | Age: 24

2. Alcaraz: $49 million

Prize Money: $13 million | Endorsements: $36 million | Age: 22

After winning the French Open, he became the third youngest player ever to win five Grand Slam titles, behind Borg and Nadal. His appearance fee for single exhibition matches can reach $2 million.

3. Gauff: $35.2 million

Prize Money: $12.2 million | Endorsements: $23 million | Age: 21

She defeated Zheng Qinwen at the WTA Finals to claim the $4.8 million winner’s prize, setting a record for the highest prize money in women’s tennis events, which will be surpassed at the 2025 US Open.

4. Sabalenka: $25.4 million

Prize Money: $12.4 million | Endorsements: $13 million | Age: 27

In January this year, she joined Evolve agency, founded by Naomi Osaka and her manager Stuart Duguid. She leads the world rankings by 30% over Swiatek and has 3.3 million Instagram followers, the highest among active female players.

5. Djokovic: $24.4 million

Prize Money: $4.4 million | Endorsements: $20 million | Age: 38

In May, he won the Geneva Open, becoming the third ATP player in the Open Era to reach 100 titles. He has won at least one title every year for 20 consecutive years.

6. Zheng Qinwen: $22.2 million

Prize Money: $5.2 million | Endorsements: $17 million | Age: 22

Her Olympic gold medal earned her new endorsements with Lancôme, Audi, Dior, Vivo, among others, and her off-court income is expected to exceed $20 million in 2025.

7. Swiatek: $21.9 million

Prize Money: $8.9 million | Endorsements: $13 million | Age: 24

In 2023, she became the face of Swiss brand On in tennis. She has held the world No.1 ranking for 125 weeks, the longest among active players and seventh all-time.

8. Tiafoe: $14.1 million

Prize Money: $3.1 million | Endorsements: $11 million | Age: 27

In 2025, he signed a major deal with Lululemon, a new brand breaking into a market long dominated by Nike and Adidas.

9. Zverev: $14 million

Prize Money: $10 million | Endorsements: $4 million | Age: 28

He remained consistently in the world top four last year. Most of his sponsorship income comes from Adidas, but his commercial image has been affected by multiple domestic violence allegations.

10. Fritz: $13.9 million

Prize Money: $9.4 million | Endorsements: $4.5 million | Age: 27

In 2024, he reached the US Open final, climbing to world No.4, his career best. Last year, he switched his apparel sponsor from Nike to Hugo Boss and also endorses Rolex, Head, and Motorola.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Huohua)