During a season that has been blighted by the COVID-19 pandemic more than 20 players have still managed to earn over $1 million in prize money.
Seven out of the 10 highest earners this year have been on the men’s Tour with Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem being the only players to surpass the $6 million mark. Although the ATP and WTA are separate organisations with their own prize money distribution structures so to some extent it is hard to directly compare the two. Grand Slams are the only level of tournament where the winnings are consistently equal for both genders.
Here are the 10 highest earners, according to data provided by both the ATP and WTA.
1) Novak Djokovic – $6,511,233 (including $76,075 from doubles)
Titles won: 4
Win-loss record: 41-5
Biggest payout: Australian Open ($4,120,000 in Australian dollars)
Once again Novak Djokovic has come out on top of the list of the highest earners. He has triumphed at the Australian Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, Cincinnati Masters and Italian Open. Djokovic’s tally would have been even greater if he hadn’t got disqualified from the US Open for accidentally hitting a lines judge with the ball during his fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta. The incident resulted in him losing his prize money won at the tournament. The world No.1 holds the record for most money earned by a tennis player ($145.6 million).
2) Dominic Thiem – $6,030,756 (including $5,880 from doubles)
Titles won: 1
Win-loss: 29-9
Biggest payout: US Open ($3,000,000)
Almost half of Thiem’s winnings occurred at the US Open where he came back from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev and win his first major title at the age of 27. Should he continue his surge next year he is projected to rise into the all-time top 10 for prize money earned in men’s tennis. Thiem is currently in 11th place and is just $124,000 behind Marin Cilic.
3) Sofia Kenin – 4,302,970 (including $115,389 from doubles)
Titles won: 2
Win-loss: 23-8
Biggest Payout: Australian Open ($2,854,381)
Kenin is the only member of the top 10 to have earned more than $100,000 from playing doubles. Although it is in the Grand Slams where she has excelled by winning the Australian Open in January followed by reaching the final of the French Open in October. Her run at those two events resulted in her winning $3,794,432 alone.
4) Rafael Nadal – $3,881,202 (including $25,075 from doubles)
Titles won: 2
Win-loss: 27-7
Biggest payout: French Open ($1,768,468)
World No.2 Nadal once again reigned supreme at Roland Garros by lifting the title for an historic 13th time. He has played in just seven tournaments this season (including the ATP Cup) but he reached the quarter-finals or better at all of them. Besides the French Open, he also won a title in Acapulco which rewarded him a payment of $372,785.
5) Daniil Medvedev $3,622,891 (including $15,221 from doubles)
Titles won: 2
Win-loss: 28-10
Biggest payout: ATP Finals ($1,564,000)
A blistering end to 2020 saw Medvedev quickly rise up the ranks in terms of both points and money. A sensational run in November saw the Russian score seven wins over top 10 players as he claimed titles in Paris and at the ATP Finals. It was at his last tournament where Medvedev defeated the world’s top three players in the same week for the first time.
6) Naomi Osaka – 3,352,755
Titles won: 1
Win-loss: 16-3
Biggest payout: US Open ($3,000,000)
Thank goodness for the US Open otherwise Osaka would have been nowhere near to the top 10. Her New York win equates to a whopping 89% of her total earnings this year despite it being the fourth tournament she played in. She also reached the final of the Western and Southern Open, semi-final of the Brisbane International and third round of the Australian Open. Osaka is the only player on the list to have earned all of her prize money from singles competition alone.
Earlier this year Forbes named Osaka the highest earning female athlete in the world. Their findings also takes into account endorsements.
7) Alexander Zverev $3,279,966 (including $24,889 from doubles)
Titles won: 2
Win-loss: 28-11
Biggest payout: US Open ($1,500,000)
The US Open brought heartbreak to Zverev who was on the verge of claiming his first Grand Slam title before losing in five sets to Thiem. However, on the plus side it also provided him with $1.5M in funds. This year the German has won two titles in Cologne, which held back-to-back events. However, those two titles only equated to just under 28,000 euros in prize money. He also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the final of the Paris Masters.
8) Iga Switek – $2,261,213 (including $73, 626 from doubles)
Titles won: 14-5
Win-loss: 1
Biggest payout: French Open ($1,768,468)
Poland’s Switek is the youngest player inside the top 10 at the age of 19. Her fairytale run to the French Open title has established her as one of the future stars of women’s tennis. Her earnings this season works out to be 77% of what she has earned so far in her entire career as a professional player. Besides the French Open, she also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open.
9) Andrey Rublev $2,223,865 (including $54,378 from doubles)
Titles won: 5
Win-loss: 41-10
Biggest payout: US Open ($425,000)
Rublev has won more ATP titles than anybody else this year but has only just managed to scrape into the top 10. He has won two 250 and three 500 events over the past 12 months but none of those were his highest earning tournaments. Instead, it was his run to the quarter-finals of the US Open which rewarded him with $425,000. His career earnings currently stands at $6,666,124 which is 132nd on the ATP all-time list.
10) Stefanos Tsitsipas $2,106,450 (including 13,218 from doubles)
Titles won: 1
Win-loss: 29-14
Biggest payout: French Open (€425,250)
22-year-old Tsitsipas has won more matches than Nadal, Medvedev and Zverev this season. Although he is in 10th place due to his mixed performances in the majors. Besides reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open, where he made €425,250, he fell in the third round in both Australia and France. In February he won his only title of the season at the Open 13 in Marseille which rewarded him €116,030 in earnings.
