Top 7 prize money winners of the 2024 tennis season ft. Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz
The next generation of tennis stars, including Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, and Iga Swiatek, continued to solidify their position as the top names of the sport in 2024. The passing of the torch was further cemented with the retirement of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Angelique Kerber, along with some other prominent names.
However, Novak Djokovic is still holding down the fort against the rising crop of players and won the elusive Olympic gold medal in Paris this year. He's got no plans of going anywhere for now and hired his former rival Murray as his coach for the upcoming Australian swing.
The majority of the top prize money earners this year across both the tours were below the age of 24, further highlighting the shift towards the dominance of youth in tennis. On that note, here's a look at seven players who were the biggest prize money earners across the ATP and WTA Tours in 2024:
#7 - Taylor Fritz ($7,006,195)
A career-best season for Fritz saw him scale new heights in 2024. He reached the final of the US Open and the ATP Finals in a career-first for him and lost to Jannik Sinner in straight sets on both occasions. Nevertheless, he earned a total of $4 million by reaching those two finals.
Fritz was also a Wimbledon quarterfinalist this year and received $473,000 for his run at the All England Club. He also made the last eight at the Australian Open and earned $383,000 for his efforts. His consistent results saw him end the season ranked at a new career-high of No. 4, and he crossed the $7 million in a single season for the first time as well.
#6 - Iga Swiatek ($8,550,693)
The second half of 2024 was quite bothersome for Swiatek for various reasons, including a positive doping test. However, she enjoyed tremendous success in the first half of the season, especially during the clay swing. The Pole claimed the three biggest titles on the surface in succession and became the second player since Serena Williams in 2013 to do the sweep.
Swiatek's French Open triumph fetched her $2.4 million in prize money, while titles at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open added $963,225 and $699,690 respectively to her bank account. She also won the Qatar Open and the Indian Wells Open prior to that, which collectively rewarded her with $1.6 million.
Swiatek also received $1 million on the heels of her WTA Finals appearance and another $530,000 for her quarterfinal run at the US Open. While her yearly total of $8.5 million is quite high, she made $9.8 million per year in the last two seasons.
#5 - Alexander Zverev ($8,995,103)
Zverev enjoyed another successful season to end the year ranked No. 2 for the first time in his career. He finished as the runner-up at the French Open, which boosted his earnings by $1.2 million. He also won the Italian Open and the Paris Masters, which cumulatively added $2 million to his bank account.
Zverev advanced to the semifinals of the ATP Finals as well, which made him richer by $1.5 million. He also made the last four at the Miami Open, the Cincinnati Open, and the Australian Open, which contributed to his $8.9 million payday this season, the most he has made in a single year.
#4 - Coco Gauff ($9,353,847)
Gauff was one of the most consistent performers during the first six months of the season, after which she went through a rough patch before ending the season on a high. Her victory at the WTA Finals was responsible for half of her yearly earnings, with a $4.8 million cheque.
Gauff also earned $1.1 million thanks to her title-winning run at the China Open. Her doubles results, including a title at the French Open, added $472,860 to her yearly tally. She earned $325,000 for a fourth-round showing at the US Open and a semifinal appearance at the Indian Wells Open. She crossed the $20 million mark in career prize money due to her earnings this year.
#3 - Aryna Sabalenka ($9,729,260)
Sabalenka defended her Australian Open title, which rewarded her with $2.2 million in prize money. A brief slump was followed by a string of solid results during the clay swing, with runner-up finishes at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, which collectively fetched her $877,275.
An injury setback forced Sabalenka to miss Wimbledon, after which she returned stronger than ever. She won the US Open, which came with a $3.6 million paycheck. She also won the Cincinnati Open and the Wuhan Open, which boosted her yearly winnings by over $1 million. She earned $1 million from her semifinal showing at the WTA Finals as well, leading to a career-best year in prize money with $9.7 million.
#2 - Carlos Alcaraz ($9,850,338)
Alcaraz won two Majors in the same season for the first time in his career this year. He won the French Open and then defended his Wimbledon crown. Those two titles helped him secure a total of $6 million in prize money. A successful title defense at the Indian Wells Masters paid him $1.5 million.
A semifinal finish at the ATP Finals added $700,000 to Alcaraz's yearly sum. His yearly earnings of $9.8 million stopped him from earning $10 million for the third straight season by a small margin. Nevertheless, he crossed the $30 million mark in career prize money this year.
#1 - Jannik Sinner ($16,946,149)
Sinner was the most dominant player of the year, with an impressive 73-6 record and eight titles. He won his maiden Major title at the Australian Open and backed it up with a triumph at the US Open. These two victories helped him bag a $5.7 million payday.
Sinner also won three Masters titles, which collectively rewarded him with roughly $3.3 million. His win at the ATP Finals was worth $4.8 million. His yearly earnings of $16.9 million currently puts him in second place on the all-time list when it comes to prize money won in a single season.
Djokovic is the current record holder with $21 million earned in 2015. However, Sinner did earn more than that this year. He claimed a $6 million payout by winning the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia. It isn't included in his ATP earnings since it was an exhibition tournament.