Top five tennis tournaments with highest prize money

The ATP and WTA tours have seen the records being rewritten in tennis tournaments with the highest prize money each season.

The four Grand Slams in tennis offer considerable prize money to the champions, distribute equal prize money to both men and women, and are among the most lucrative competitions. The second rank is taken by ATP and WTA 1000 events, with their offerings, but the highest prize pool in the sport has started occurring outside the majors.

The lure of larger pay packets, especially down the pecking order, ensures players continue making a beeline for the majors. Those who come here include players looking for success as well as established champions who have won multiple titles.

Even among the Grand Slams, the prize pools can vary but are unquestionably among the most lucrative. The Nitto ATP Finals and the latest entrant, the Six Kings Slam exhibition match, are also in the running for tournaments that offer significant prize money.

While the majors pay the same to both men and women, the WTA 1000, WTA 500, and WTA 250 events pursue different paths to bridging the pay gap between the two tours.

Let’s now take a look at the events in tennis which offer record-breaking prize money to the players:

5. French Open

The organizers of the Roland Garros tournament gave away €53.5 million as prize money at the 2024 French Open, an increase of nearly 8% compared to 2023. The men’s and women’s singles champions in Paris received a €2.4 million payout which is around $2.6m, with €1.2 million going to the finalists. The team winning the men’s & women’s doubles trophy bagged  €590,000 and a tidy sum of €295,000 for the finalists.

Stade Roland Garros, with its three main courts – Court Philippe-Chatrier, Court Suzanne Lenglen, and Court Simonne-Mathieu host the main events of the fortnight.

Rafael Nadal owns a record 14 titles on the red clay courts of Paris and is joined by Chris Evert, who has seven titles on the surface in the Open Era – the most in their respective tours.

4. Wimbledon

Wimbledon also surprised everyone by raising prize money for the singles champion by 15% from the 2024 season. Winners of the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles were awarded £2.7 million which is around $3.5m, and £1.4 million went to the runner-up.

The Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ doubles champions (per pair), were richer by  £650,000 while the finalists took home £330,000. The total prize pool offered by the organisers for the 2024 edition was an eye-watering £50 million. Centre Court is the largest, seating just under 15,000 fans.    

The man who bagged the most Wimbledon titles is Roger Federer (8), while Martina Navratilova (9) does the honours for the women. 

When Federer won the 2017 Wimbledon, he became the undisputed king of SW19. He claimed his eighth title in style by becoming the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to make a title run without dropping a set.

3. US Open

USTA organised the US Open at the Bill Jean King National Tennis Center. Arthur Ashe, Louis Armstrong Stadium, and Grand Stand are the largest stadiums. The US Open also leads the way in offering lucrative payouts to visiting players each year.

The 2024 prize pool was a record $75 million. The men’s and women’s singles champion took home $3.6 million, while the finalists got richer by $1.8 million. The men’s & women’s doubles prize money is  $750,000 for the title winners and $375,000 for the finalists per team. The $75 million offer represents a 15% increase over the 2023 season.

Roger Federer, with five titles, is tied with Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors for most wins among the men. Chris Evert shares the lead with Serena Williams at six wins each.

2. Nitto ATP Finals

The Nitto ATP Finals brings the curtains down on the men’s tennis season every year. The tournament will feature the eight best singles players and doubles teams who will take part in the final and most prestigious competition of the season.

Every year, players compete through the season for precious ATP rankings points that will earn them one of the eight coveted berths. The event adopts a round-robin format, with each participant playing three matches as they eye a spot in the knockout stage.

If the champion remains undefeated, he will gain 1500 points and 500 points. Likewise, an undefeated run will net the winner $4.8 million, or $2.2 million, for taking the trophy with a loss in the round-robin stage.

Novak Djokovic is the two-time defending champion at the Nitto ATP Finals and has won a record seven times, the most in the event’s history.

1. Six Kings Slam

The Six Kings Slam has been the latest successful venture by Saudi Arabia to popularise tennis in the Middle East and bring big-ticket events to its shores. It is an exhibition match not under the umbrella of the ATP, and as such, it does not offer any ranking points. The event, however, offered an eye-watering $6m to the winner while the participants pocketed $1.5m.

Also Read: Six Kings Slam Prize Money Breakdown: How much did each player earn in the exhibition event

As its name suggests, six players faced off to claim the big prize. The $6m payout is nearly double what Jannik Sinner took home for winning the 2024 US Open singles event.

Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev make up the six who traveled to the Arabian peninsula for the event. Sinner took home the $6m cheque while the rest collected $1.5m.

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