As one of the most storied ‘luxury’ sports in the world, there is no surprise that tennis is also lucrative for its athletes. On the court, prize money is big for the best players and off it, there is a tonne to be made in endorsements from some of the biggest brands in the world. Let’s take the grand slam tournament prize money, for example. Each of the four tournaments have prize pools of more than $70 million, with the US Open putting up a staggering $138 million for players to win this year. When that gets whittled down, the winner takes home around $5.5 million, but still, that's a pretty penny for a few weeks work. 

Then we get to the endorsements. As we saw recently with Roger Federer and Rafel Nadal’s Louis Vuitton campaign, tennis is one of the most appealing sports for luxury brands when it comes to endorsements. Jannik Sinner is sponsored by Gucci. Carlos Alcaraz gets a bag from Rolex. And that's even before we get to traditional sporting giants like Nike and Adidas. 

Rising Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz toppled former No. 1 champion Novak Djokovic to take first place—with an estimated value of $65 million. Thanks to a wild combination of prize money and envious endorsement deals, appearance fees and other related sources of income, Alcaraz rose to number one. But hot on his tail are other fresh faces with the likes of Jannk Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff all firmly in the top 10. 

Aryna Sabalenka, current world No. 1 ranked WTA player, also arrived from outside the top ten to claim her stake in a very lucrative pie. Similarly, Coco Gauff, Casper Rudd and Jessica Pegula, all newbies in their career, and incredibly young talents, found a home here this year, demonstrating just how much the landscape of professional tennis, and the players to watch out for, are changing.

It certainly is the year of young, fresh faces with most of the talent on this list barely past their mid-20s. With four women sitting the top ten, and two of those earning more than sporting legend Rafael Nadal, it’s a massive win for the future of female tennis given the continual disparities in gender pay at smaller tournaments and fewer marketing opportunities afforded to female players historically.

Overall, the total earnings from this group has dropped in the past few years, but this is largely due to Federer and Serena Williams' absences from the group after their retirements (and soon to be Nadal)—but the fresh, youthful nature of the list and the new players we’ve seen rise up certainly promises some oncoming excitement.

Prices are approximate conversions to Australian Dollars, and correct as of January 17, 2024.

10. Aryna Sabalenka—$21.1 million

This year’s Australian Open champion and reigning WTA champion Sabalenka is a new addition to this list, raking in over $21 million in 2024. Earning roughly equal amounts both on and off the court, Sabalenka’s endorsements include much-loved açaí bowl chain Oakberry and of course, tennis giant Nike. A testament to her skill, Sabalenka secured her spot as No. 1 in the world despite taking a break following a shoulder injury which saw her miss out on the Paris Olympics and Wimbledon. She came back to win the US Open which put her straight back to the top where she’s remained.

9. Casper Ruud—$21.4 million 

Norway's 25-year-old Casper Ruud, another fresh up-and-comer and world No. 2 ranked player, has three tournament titles to his name, won his twelfth career ATP title in Geneva earlier this year, and has made it to the top ten list for the second time at number nine. Along with his on court wins and prize money, Rudd's spot on the list can also be attributed to his global ambassador roles for Fleming watches and Samsonite and sponsorships with Renault among others.

8. Naomi Osaka—$22.4 million

Naomi Osaka's drop from number two to number eight is in large part due to the fact she didn't play a competitive match for a long stretch due to both injuries and later, her pregnancy. Since giving birth in July last year though, the young player wasted no time in getting back to training and made a return at the Australian Open. Osaka also continues to have a number of corporate partners that have kept her earnings up, including a Victoria Secret design collaboration, a Bobbie baby formula partnership and the profit off her successful media company, Hana Kuma.

7. Daniil Medevedev—$31.2 million

Moving down from number four last year, Russia's Daniil Medvedev may not have clinched a Grand Slam win since Flushing Meadows in 2021 but he’s reached five other major final rounds including this year’s Australian Open against Jannik Sinner. Notably, his multi-year Lacoste partnership is still going strong (along with his nine other sponsors) with his signature logo appearing on one of the brand's lines early this year. A slew of new partnerships for Medvedev include gaming companies EA Sports and Ubisoft, reflecting his avid gaming hobby.

6. Rafael Nadal—$35.8 million

Following his confirmation of retirement in October, Nadal’s career of epic proportions and legendary status isn’t quite reflected in his annual earnings for 2024. Over 98 per cent of his income came from off the court endorsements this year, which still keeps him comfortably at number six on the list - not a large dip in the rankings, but a substantial one when it came to his earnings. However, his two Grand Slam titles last season and ongoing partnerships through the sports sponsorship system, as well as a new deal with Subway and an investment in a new electric raceboat league, certainly helped keep him on the ladder. 

5. Jannik Sinner—$40.9 million 

2024 was a tumultuous year for Sinner to say the least. After beating reigning champion Djokovic to win the Australian Open in January, Sinner catapulted up to a No. 1 ranking in the world and took home a comfortable $3.2 million in prize money. His earnings took a slight dip in March when he tested positive for a banned steroid, requiring him to forfeit the prize money and ranking points gained at the Indian Wells tournament. Regardless, he continued to maintain his endorsements off the court, including lucrative partnerships with Gucci, Rolex and Lavazza.

4. Iga Swiatek—$41 million 

Securing her spot in the top ten for the second time, with a bullet, 23-year-old Polish Iga Swiatek has landed herself at number four. Her victory at the French Open last year earned the young player four Grand Slam titles, drawing second with Naomi Osaka among current active female players. Setting more records, Swiatek has also been the top ranked player for the WTA for more than 103 consecutive weeks, and has been building her sponsorship portfolio with agency IMG, making deals with Visa, Oshee and On.

3. Coco Gauff—$41.7 million

After being the youngest player to win the WTA Tour earlier this month, Coco Gauff earned a record $11.2 million in prize money for that title alone. With that in mind, it’s no surprise why 20-year-old prodigy Coco Gauff has jumped up the list to number three. Ranked No. 2 in the world in singles and No. 1 in doubles so early in her career, Gauff has already won a Grand Slam at the US Open proving the future might well see her go higher on this list. Gauff also added some new partnerships this year—Baker Tilly, Bose and UPS—which certainly helped to boost her earnings.

2. Novak Djokovic—$57.3 million

He may no longer be world No. 1 or the highest paid tennis star anymore, but Novak Djokovic is still giving other players a run for their money. Earning a cool $57.3 million dollars this year, Djokovic even overtook Alcaraz in earnings on the court with $18.8 million dollars as prize money. With his sights firmly set on his 25th Major title in 2025 after claiming a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Djokovic dominance is showing no sign of slowing down. Having repaired a lot of the damage caused by his controversial stance over Covid vaccinations and signed some big, new endorsement deals—including a large investment with beverage brand Waterdrop—and lucrative prize money wins, Djokovic's secondary ranking on this list was expected. He may have lost to Sinner during a tense Australian Open semi-final, but Djokovic still has him beat with his bank account.

1. Carlos Alcaraz—$65 million

The 2024 French Open champion, defending Wimbledon champion and the currently ranked number three player of the sport—22-year-old Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, tennis' latest legend and the sport’s highest earner by a decent stretch. Along with incredible wins against some of the world's best players over the year, Alcaraz's obvious natural talent and blindingly bright future have had big sponsors–such as Calvin Klein, Rolex and Louis Vuitton—show very keen interest in the young player who is set to dominate the sport for possibly years to come. His appearance fees have swiftly been raised, and if the comparisons drawn between him and a young Nadal are anything to go by, it won’t be the only year he tops this list. 

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