Novak Djokovic has won the most amount of prize money in ATP Tour history, but he’s also received a hefty chunk from the organisation’s ‘Pension Plan’.
The ATP Tour established its ‘Pension Plan’ in 1990, the same year the ATP Tour was set up in full effect with Masters 1000 events, 500s, and 250s.
Players receive money every year depending on a variety of aspects, including “Tour data revenues, including live scoring and match statistics”.
After 36 years, the ATP Tour have finally outlined how much players are being payed from the ‘Pension Plan’ on their official website.
Unsurprisingly, Djokovic has received an incredible amount for his services on the ATP Tour for the last two decades.
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According to the ATP Tour’s official website, Djokovic has received $1,066,862 since 2011, in a period which has brought him over 20 Grand Slam titles.
This will not go to Djokovic immediately, however, as it works in a similar way to everyday pensions.
Djokovic has qualifed for Tier 1 contributions, which is around $120,000 annually, which is why the star has been able to amass such a high amount.
Once Djokovic turns 50, the ATP Tour will begin to pay Djokovic for his services over a 20-year period, which is currently estimated to be between $20,000 and $24,000 per month.
Of course, Djokovic will likely not be needing the Pension Plan, but it could be incredibly substantial to the lower-ranked players on the ATP Tour.
Players become eligible to receive pension payments after accumulating a minimum of three Years of Service, with five Years of Service required to unlock full benefits, which is relevant to many of the players currently on the ATP Tour who are not challenging the very top of the rankings.
As well as Djokovic, Alexander Zverev is also one of the biggest current benefactors from the ATP Tour’s Pension Plan, which is unsurprising considering his run over the last decade.
The German, who recently became the world No 1 for the first time in his career, has currently racked up $993,250 on the Pension Plan after 13 years of dedication on the ATP Tour.
The ATP Tour Pension Plan is another step in ensuring the security of players outside the top of the rankings and the organisation should be applauded for introducing other avenues after players retire.
A tennis players’ career is notoriously short and very expensive for players who are not consistently winning, so it is nice for the lower ranked players to have something to fall back on.
