The debate over prize money in tennis has been rumbling among the game’s top players over the last couple of years, but a glance down the ATP list confirms big money is now being collected by players ranked outside of the top 100.
Top players such as Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz have led the calls for players to collect more prize money from Grand Slam tournaments and they have succeeded in that campaign, with big increases in the money being handed out to players in the four tennis majors over the last year.
A new Grand Slam Players Council has also been set up, with some of the biggest names in tennis lining up to be part of the advisory panel that they hope will give them more input into how the sport’s four biggest tournaments are governed.
Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Rinderknech will represent the men on this Player Council, while Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Maria Sakkari and Iva Jovic make up the women’s contingent.
They will be demanding an even bigger share of profits from Grand Slam events, but the evidence of the increases they have already secured is in evidence when you glance down to the lower end of the top 100 and even down as far as No 250 in the current rankings.
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Alexander Zverev tops the earnings list in the men’s game for 2026, with his French Open and US Open wins ensuring his prize money will eclipse $15 million imminently.
Carlos Alcaraz’s prize money haul of almost $6m is also impressive after he was forced to sit out a large chunk of the season with a wrist injury.
In the women’s game, Elena Rybakina is close to moving through the $11m prize money barrier after a season when she has also won two Grand Slam titles.
Yet the theory that players ranked outside of the elite lost struggle to make a living on the tour appears to be changing, with world No 81 Aleksandar Kovacevic one of the lowest-ranked players to move through the $1m mark for prize money in 2026, even though he has only won 15 times on the ATP Tour, while losing 24 times.
World No 85 Rinky Hijikata has also earned over $1m in a season when he has also won just 15 matches on the ATP Tour, with the big money continuing to roll for those outside of the top 100 in the rankings.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka is down at No 142 in the rankings, but he has collected $921,870 in prize money and even though world No 108 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has won just eight matches in a poor season, he has picked up $780,143 in prize money.
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The cash on offer in the women’s game is not quite so lavish, but Indonesia’s world No 47 Janice Tjen is one of the lowest ranked players to collect $1m in prize money.
World No 101 Solana Sierra has also collected over $1m despite having a losing 21-25 record on the WTA Tour this year and British No 1 Katie Boulter has earned over the $1m mark without making a huge impression for most of the season.
Emma Raducanu has also collected over $600,000 in prize money for 2026, even though she has not hit a ball since reaching the Queen’s Club final in June.
Of course, tennis players have to pay for their own expenses which include big travel cost, coaching expenses and taxes on their earnings, but it is clear that the prize money is filtering down to the lower ranked players as the sport looks to find a way to distribute it’s wealth in a manner that works for all.
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