Men's Tennis: 5 Players with the Highest Career Prize Money Earnings
Unlike in olden days, prize money in tennis tournaments especially Grand Slams have risen significantly over the years. So much so that many a time players have played through the injury in the first round to only retire mid-way through the match so that they can collect the prize money. The US Open was the first Grand Slam to ensure equal pay for both men and women and it did so way back in 1973. Australian Open followed when it brought about pay parity in the year 2001. French Open did so in 2006. The last Grand Slam to award equal prize money to both men and women was Wimbledon when it did so in the year 2007. But barring the Grand Slams, there is a huge difference between what women earn and what men earn for their on-court performances. The top-100 Men's players on the ATP circuit year-on-year earn more than their women counterparts on the WTA circuit. We take a look at the 5 highest earning professionals in the ATP circuit :
#5 Pete Sampras
The only retired player in the list is Pete Sampras. The big-serving American known as 'Pistol Pete' for his super quick serves won a total of 14 Grand Slams. Pete Sampras and his long-time rival fellow American Andre Agassi dominated men's tennis in the 1990's. His tally of 64 Singles' titles which included 5 Tour Finals victories helped him amass a total career-prize money of $43,280,489.
#4 Andy Murray
Scot Andy Murray part of the fabled 'Big 4' of tennis has been a consistent performer for well over a decade. The outspoken advocate for equal pay for both male and female tennis players, the Brit has won a total of 45 Singles titles including 3 Grand Slams, 1 ATP Tour Finals and 2 Olympic Gold Medals. His consistency across tournaments on different surfaces over the years have helped him win a total of $60,931,985 in career prize money till date.