Who are the biggest earners of the 2022 tennis season so far? Ft. Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek
Professional tennis is an extremely competitive sport with high training demands and on the ATP and WTA tours, tennis players who make the most money are always the top athletes.
Grand Slams, for example, offer more prize money in the millions to the winners and runners-up, while players who lose out in the early rounds stand to make tens of thousands of dollars. Additionally, the sport offers enormous incentives in the form of salaries and sponsorships, which are almost always bagged by the top stars, making them one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
On that note, let’s take a look at the biggest earners of the 2022 season so far:
#16 Jannik Sinner- $2 million
Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner is currently ranked No. 10 in the world by the ATP. He has won five ATP singles tournaments so far, making him the youngest player to win five titles since Djokovic in 2007.
Sinner made some of his finest tennis appearances in 2022, especially in Grand Slam tournaments. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the 2022 Wimbledon Championships as well as the fourth round of the French Open. These successes on the tennis court have contributed to Sinner's $2M gain thus far this season.
An outrageous rally, sealed in style by @janniksin 💥
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/D1HLofmlLj
#15 Andrey Rublev - $2 million
Andrey Rublev has had a decent season thus far, taking home three ATP titles and progressing all the way to the third round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the French Open.
The Russian won titles at the Serbia Open, the Open 13 in Marseille and the Dubai Open, placing him in 15th position on this list with earnings of $2 million so far.
This is what bravery looks like. Andrey Rublev (a Russian tennis player) wrote "No War Please" on a camera lens after he reached the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship final.
#AndreyRublev #UkraineRussia https://t.co/geN2ob3ib0
#14 Felix Auger-Aliassime - $2.1 million
A budding talent, Felix Auger-Alissime is progressing well. He fared badly at the French Open and Wimbledon Championships, but advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Auger-Aliassime entered the Rotterdam Open earlier this year as the third seed and faced top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. He defeated the Greek in straight sets to claim his first title on the men's tennis tour, which forms a sizable portion of his $2.1 million earnings so far this year.
FIRST ATP TITLE!
Felix Auger-Aliassime plays a great match to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2 and win Rotterdam, his first ATP title in his 9th final!
Tsitsipas, who won the ATP Finals and a Masters 1000 in the past, is now 0-8 in ATP 500 finals. Quite a stat... https://t.co/IOtZMqNiyF
#13 Hubert Hurkacz - $2.1 million
Despite having early-round exits in this year's Grand Slams, Hubert Hurkacz advanced to the semifinals of the Miami Open and the quarterfinals of two Masters 1000 tournaments -- Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Then, as the fifth seed, he competed in the Halle Open where he defeated World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-4 to capture his first ATP 500 title and first victory on grass. As a result, he has earned $2.1 million thus far.
Hubert Hurkacz defeated No. 1, Daniil Medvedev, 2-0, and won the 2022 Halle Open title. Halle Open is the 25-year-old Pole’s fifth ATP singles title, and he kept his record in the finals so far unblemished with his victory in an hour (1-6, 4-6).
#HalleOpen #huberthurkacz #tennis https://t.co/oJbFID5OKb
#12 Ashleigh Barty - $2.3 million
After breaking a 44-year Australian women's drought at Melbourne Park by winning the Australian Open in January, Ashleigh Barty announced her immediate retirement from tennis.
However, thanks to the huge purse at the Melbourne Major, Barty has earned over $2.3 million this year despite not having played nearly as much tennis as the others on this list.
Ashleigh Barty, the No. 1 women's tennis player, announced her retirement at 25 years old.
She won the Australian Open in January. https://t.co/VHVig19Hfs
#11 Daniil Medvedev - $2.5 million
After winning his first Major in 2021 at the US Open, Daniil Medvedev advanced to the 2022 Australian Open final before falling to Rafael Nadal in an extraordinary five-setter.
Since then, Medvedev has failed to claim any ATP titles and was also absent from the Wimbledon Championships this year due to the ban of Russian and Belarusian players. Despite this, the 26-year-old is ranked 11th on this list with $2.5 million in total earnings so far.
Incredible Nadal! 😳
A month after his Australian Open victory, Rafa beats Daniil Medvedev again 6-3 6-3 to book his 3rd final of the year in Acapulco https://t.co/eINYHJ3RbT
#10 Alexander Zverev - $2.6 million
The ATP season of 2021 was fantastic for Alexander Zverev. The German was still having trouble with his Grand Slam form, but he still managed to win six titles, including a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Zverev's 2022 tennis season wasn't too bad either as he advanced to numerous ATP tournament semifinals and finals and turned in a standout performance at the 2022 French Open.
Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal due to an ankle injury. Overall, Zverev has earned a total of $2.6 million this year, and has every chance of improving on it if he can recover soon.
Alexander Zverev gives update on horror French Open injury as he bids for US Open fitness
INJURED Alexander Zverev is on the road to recovery after he tore ankle ligaments during the French Open semi-finals.
#Tennis https://t.co/2QmXdBRg6B
#9 Taylor Fritz - $2.6 million
Taylor Fritz has been on an incredible run this year. He won his first title of the year at the Indian Wells Masters with a 6-3, 7-6(5) straight-sets win over Rafael Nadal. The 24-year-old then defeated fellow countryman Maxime Cressy with score of 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 to win the Rothesay International just prior to Wimbledon.
After making it to the quarterfinals at SW19, where he was defeated by Rafael Nadal, he achieved his best finish in a Grand Slam tournament. As a result, his earnings from the tennis court thus far stands at $2.6 million.
Centre Court salutes you, @Taylor_Fritz97 👏
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/xNO2ITrvlu
#8 Casper Ruud - $2.9 million
Casper Ruud is the highest-ranked tennis player from Norway in history thanks to his career-high singles ranking of No. 5, which he attained on June 13, 2022. He has won eight ATP Tour singles titles, two of which came in 2022.
He earned his seventh ATP 250 title by winning the Argentina Open for the second time in his career. Shortly afterwards, he won the Geneva Open, and this was followed by a good showing at Roland-Garros where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the finals. With that, Ruud's earnings in 2022 comes to a total of $2.9 million.
The boy in the green jacket is a huge fan of Nadal and took this picture after watching Nadal win French Open in 2013. Zoom the pic and you can see Nadal on court
Well..the boy in the green jacket is none other than Casper Ruud who played the French Open final against Nadal !👌 https://t.co/WLaJzB3joG
#7 Elena Rybakina- $3.3 million
Elena Rybakina had the biggest win of her tennis career at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. She came from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in an intense final to become the Wimbledon champion, and with that her earnings so far stand at $3.3 million.
Seal of approval 😘
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/3BRFfrR0m2
#6 Ons Jabeur - $3.4 million
In 2022, Ons Jabeur has had a fairytale run so far. She became the first Tunisian and Arab tennis player to triumph at the Madrid Open, her most notable victory to date.
At the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, she also advanced to her maiden Major final but her dream run was cut short by Elena Rybakina. Jabeur has earned $3.4 million so far as a result of her outstanding achievements on the tennis court.
“I’m trying to inspire the next generations. I hope they are listening”
@Ons_Jabeur, keep blazing the trail 🇹🇳
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/t4214lhOFu
#5 Stefanos Tsitsipas - $3.6 million
Stefanos Tsitsipas won his first title of the year at the Rome Masters by defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6(3) in straight sets. Then, he won the Mallorca Open by defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2) in three sets. This was his first victory on grass.
The World No. 4 also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open earlier this year, followed by a fourth-round finish at the French Open. As a result, the Greek currently has total earnings of $3.6 million in 2022.
Stefanos Tsitsipas wins a first grass title in Mallorca, proving that there is no reasons for him to don’t play well in this surface. Curious to see what he does at Wimbledon.
#4 Novak Djokovic - $4.2 million
After missing out on the first Major of the year due to his vaccination status, Novak Djokovic made a great comeback at the Rome Masters to win his first title of the year.
The Serb then claimed his seventh Wimbledon title after defeating Australia's Nick Kyrgios 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) in a tightly contested match on Center Court. As things stand at the moment, he has added $4.2 million to his total earnings from this year alone.
Novak Djokovic 
Introducing your 2022 Wimbledon champions (a thread) 🧵
🏆 Novak Djokovic 🏆
#Wimbledon https://t.co/Ia50S2D6A9
#3 Carlos Alcaraz - $4.3 million
The third on the list is rising star Carlos Alcaraz, who has won four titles so far this season. The teenage phenom from Spain pulled off another amazing feat by defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets to win the Madrid Open and became the second-youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles.
His other three victories this season have come at the Rio Open, the Barcelona Open and the Miami Masters. The young Spaniard has already made a total of $4.3 million on the tennis tour this season thanks to his splendid achievements.
After requiring more than 3 hours to defeat No. 1 Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz takes just over an hour to beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the Madrid Open
Titles in Miami, Barcelona & Madrid
A superstar is born
#getty https://t.co/lSrXlTkpsb
#2 Rafael Nadal - $6.4 million
The Australian Open and French Open men's singles champion Rafael Nadal is second on the list with $6.4 million in earnings so far this year. With championship victories at the French Open, Australian Open, and Mexican Open, Rafael Nadal has enjoyed an amazing run.
At Wimbledon, he was en route to a Calendar Slam, but an abdominal muscle tear forced him to forfeit his match against Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals. If not for that, he might have added even more to his tally, taking him all the way up to the top spot.
We're sad to see it end this way, @RafaelNadal
Thank you for another year of unforgettable moments at The Championships
#Wimbledon https://t.co/XadiEVxaWF
#1 Iga Swiatek - $6.6 million
Iga Swiatek, the current World No. 1 on the women's tennis tour, has won the most money in the sport thus far in 2022, a phenomenal achievement considering it is inclusive of players from both the WTA and ATP.
She has already earned $6.6 million this season after only a few months of play thanks to her four WTA 1000 championships, 500-level success in Stuttgart, and her second Grand-Slam triumph at Roland-Garros.
UPDATE:
1. Swiatek 6.6M 🟠
2. Nadal 6.4M
3. Alcaraz 4.3M
4. Djokovic 4.2M
5. Tsitsipas 3.6M
6. Jabeur 3.4M 🟠
7. Rybakina 3.3M 🟠
8. Ruud 2.9M
9. Fritz 2.6M
10. Zverev 2.6M
11. Medvedev 2.5M
12. Barty 2.3M 🟠
13. Hurkacz 2.1M
14. FAA 2.1M
15. Rublev 2M
16. Sinner 2M twitter.com/RelevantTennis… https://t.co/tskVPUClSO