Injuries have momentarily halted what already looks like a generational rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, allowing another men’s tennis player—Alexander Zverev at Roland-Garros in June—to capture a Grand Slam singles title for the first time since 2023. But even when the two young aces can’t make it onto the court, they are locked in a battle for financial supremacy.
The 23-year-old Alcaraz continues to have the edge with his off-court earnings, raking in an estimated $38 million over the last 12 months from endorsements, appearances, exhibitions and other business endeavors to beat Sinner’s estimated $35 million. Factor in prize money, however, and it is the 25-year-old Italian who comes out on top, bringing in an estimated $58 million in total pretax income dating to the 2025 U.S. Open—about $4 million better than the Spanish superstar’s estimated $53.7 million.
Sinner, who is No. 1 in the ATP Tour’s singles rankings, is only the fourth player to claim the top spot on Forbes’ annual tennis earnings list across its 19-year history, dethroning Alcaraz, the two-time reigning financial champion. (Before that, Novak Djokovic led the ranking in 2023, and Roger Federer had a stranglehold on No. 1 for 15 straight years until he retired in 2022.) Perhaps most impressive, Sinner’s on-court total of $23 million—including ATP prize money from the past 12 months as well as a bonus he received from the tour—is the best figure ever to appear on the Forbes list, even though he took a month off before Wimbledon and has been sidelined since by a knee injury.
Sinner will now miss the U.S. Open, which begins on Sunday, creating another opening for the 29-year-old Zverev, who capitalized on Alcaraz’s absence at this year’s French Open. That result broke a streak of nine straight majors at which Sinner or Alcaraz had secured the singles title and pushed Zverev’s 12-month income to an estimated $18.7 million, which lands him among the world’s ten highest-paid tennis players for the first time since 2019, at No. 9.
Together, the sport’s ten top earners collected an estimated $333 million over the past year, up 17% from 2025’s $285 million and just behind 2020’s $343 million haul.
That year’s record total was buoyed by a career-best $106 million showing from Federer, and his decision to hang up his racket in 2022, along with Rafael Nadal’s retirement in 2024, has deprived the list of one of the steadiest sources of income in sports, with Federer tallying $1.1 billion in pretax earnings while still active and becoming a billionaire last year. But tennis’ financial ranking received an unexpected bump this year when Serena Williams returned to the court after a nearly four-year layoff. The 44-year-old legend—who decided not to play singles at this year’s U.S. Open as a wild card but competed in mixed doubles this week with Alcaraz and will enter women’s doubles with her sister Venus—has racked up an estimated $40.1 million in income over the past year to come in at No. 3, behind Sinner and Alcaraz. The vast majority of that cash is from her endorsements and other business ventures—Williams has earned just $131,932 in prize money this year, having played in only four tournaments leading up to the Open.
The inclusion of Williams helps raise the list’s cutoff to $17.4 million—set by Elena Rybakina, more than $3 million beyond 2025’s record high of $14.3 million—and ensures that there are more women (six) than men (four) in the top ten for the first time in the Forbes tennis ranking’s history. In another sign of the momentum in the women’s game, Coco Gauff—the world’s highest-paid female athlete in each of the past two years—has been surpassed not only by Williams but also by Aryna Sabalenka, who slots in at No. 4 in the overall ranking with an estimated $36.1 million, edging Gauff’s $35.5 million.
Those results don’t mean that male and female tennis players are on equal financial footing. Men have historically had better access to endorsement deals, and while the four Grand Slam events have long offered the same winner’s check to their men’s and women’s champions, a pay gap has persisted at smaller events.
The WTA Tour, however, has committed to bringing prize money in line at its 1000- and 500-level combined events with the men’s ATP Tour by next year, and at single-week 1000 and 500 tournaments by 2033. This month, the Cincinnati Open awarded $1,151,380 to men’s singles champion Arthur Fils and $1,085,220 to Gauff, the women’s winner, a difference of $66,160—down from a $525,975 split at the same event just two years ago.
At the same time, the debate over player pay extends well past the gender gap. Over the past two years, many of the sport’s stars have united in calling for the four Grand Slams to set aside a greater share of their revenues as prize money, with the Guardian recently reporting that the purse at Wimbledon was about 14% of the event’s revenue. (By contrast, the benchmark used by the six ATP and WTA combined 1000 events is 22%.)
In a coordinated protest at this year’s French Open, several players limited their media availability, and they have kept up the pressure since—including a threat by Sabalenka that top players could boycott the majors entirely—which led both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to implement big prize money increases. In addition, this month, the four Grand Slams jointly announced the creation of a player council to give athletes greater input into the events.
Meanwhile, in recent years, the ATP has expanded bonus pools for its top-performing players and introduced a profit-sharing formula that allows them to directly benefit from the revenue growth at the tour’s events. Yet players who sit out tournaments—for any reason, including injury—can have their pay slashed, with Sinner receiving nothing from the 1000-level fixed pool in 2025 after he missed five of the nine events.
That reality has put tennis’ grueling 11-month calendar under even greater scrutiny. For years, players from both the ATP and the WTA have sought more breaks in their schedules—and just as with their demands for more prize money, it appears they may be getting what they want. The WTA formed a council this year to address the scheduling issues, and a member of the task force recently told Front Office Sports he expects a vote on the matter during this year’s U.S. Open.
The Highest-Paid Tennis Players 2026
#1. $58 million
AGE: 25 | NATIONALITY: Italy | ON-COURT: $23 million • OFF-COURT: $35 million
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Sinner’s victory at Wimbledon in July was the fifth Grand Slam title of his career, and he is 175-15 in ATP singles matches over the past three seasons, including a record 34 straight wins in Masters 1000 matches. Although a knee injury will sideline the 2024 U.S. Open champion from this year’s tournament, the 25-year-old Italian is guaranteed to remain No. 1 in the world rankings, with a 5,010-point lead over No. 2 Alexander Zverev—the man he beat in the Wimbledon final. Away from the court, Sinner announced a partnership with insurance giant Allianz in January, adding to a sponsor stable that also includes major Italian brands De Cecco, Gucci and Lavazza. And while he is not known for playing many of the exhibitions that have become popular in tennis, Sinner won the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia in both 2024 and 2025. Each victory came with a $6 million check.
#2. $53.7 million
AGE: 23 | NATIONALITY: Spain | ON-COURT: $15.7 million • OFF-COURT: $38 million
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
After missing both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a wrist injury, Alcaraz will return to the court at the U.S. Open, seeking his third title at the tournament and his eighth Grand Slam victory overall. The 23-year-old Spaniard, who started 2026 with a win at the Australian Open that made him the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam, knocked some of the rust off at Arthur Ashe Stadium this week in the U.S. Open’s mixed doubles competition, competing as a wild card alongside Serena Williams. Off the court, Alcaraz remains tennis’ top pitchman, partnering this year with fintech firm Ant International and IT powerhouse Infosys. He has also headlined exhibitions at the Miami Marlins’ ballpark and the New Jersey Devils’ arena, along with an exhibition victory over Sinner in South Korea in January. Another sign of Alcaraz’s status as a fan favorite: In October, the racket he used in the 2023 Wimbledon final sold at auction for a record $173,066.40.
#3. $40.1 million
AGE: 44 | NATIONALITY: U.S. | ON-COURT: $0.1 million • OFF-COURT: $40 million
John Walton/PA Images/Getty Images
Williams ended her nearly four-year hiatus from competitive tennis in June, competing in singles at Wimbledon and in doubles at three events this summer before her U.S. Open mixed doubles appearance this week with Carlos Alcaraz. One thing is certain: The 44-year-old GOAT didn’t return to the court for the money. Forbes estimates Williams’ net worth at $400 million, making her the world’s richest woman who made her fortune primarily as an athlete, and she is active both as an investor—through her firm Serena Ventures—and as a brand ambassador. Williams has been sponsored by Nike for 23 years, and she more recently partnered with Heineken, Factor and Ro, becoming the face of the telehealth company’s campaign around GLP-1 weight loss medications. Williams is also an “entrepreneur in residence” for Reckitt Catalyst, an incubator within the consumer goods giant, and she served as the model for a new Barbie doll—pointedly wearing a business suit rather than a tennis skirt.
#4. $36.1 million
AGE: 28 | NATIONALITY: Belarus | ON-COURT: $13.1 million • OFF-COURT: $23 million
Robert Prange/Getty Images
As Sabalenka heads into the U.S. Open, she is not only seeking her third straight title at the tournament and fifth Grand Slam overall—the 28-year-old Belarusian is also fighting to hang on to the WTA’s No. 1 ranking. Sabalenka, who has spent nearly two straight years at the top, must win the Open to maintain her position; otherwise, she will cede the spot to Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff, depending on the results of the tournament. Sabalenka has still won three tournaments in 2026—Miami, Indian Wells and Brisbane—and has been busy off the court, adding partnerships this year with a half-dozen brands, including Emirates airline, Material Good jewelry and Stella Artois. She also participated in a well-publicized match billed as the Battle of the Sexes in December, losing to Nick Kyrgios in Dubai, as well as exhibitions in Hong Kong, Atlanta and New York.
#5. $35.5 million
AGE: 22 | NATIONALITY: U.S. | ON-COURT: $7.5 million • OFF-COURT: $28 million
Robert Prange/Getty Images
Gauff’s form has been inconsistent since she captured her second Grand Slam singles title at the 2025 French Open, including early exits at Indian Wells and the French Open, but the 22-year-old American enters the U.S. Open coming off runs to the semifinals at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open and a victory this month at the Cincinnati Open, where she continued to show improvement with her serving. Off the court, Gauff is sponsored by more than a dozen brands, unveiling a deal with Oura smart rings this month, and she served as an executive producer on two short documentaries for the Tennis Channel this summer. And Gauff is getting more out of social media than a place to promote her partners: In March, she credited a user on X for pointing out that she should go to the net more, a strategy that helped her win her match at the Miami Open.
#6. $30.2 million
AGE: 39 | NATIONALITY: Serbia | ON-COURT: $5.2 million • OFF-COURT: $25 million
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Djokovic hasn’t won a major since extending his men’s record to 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 U.S. Open, but the 39-year-old Serb showed he can still contend by reaching the final at the Australian Open in February and the semifinals at Wimbledon in July. A victory in Queens would be doubly historic: Not only would a 25th Slam put him three ahead of No. 2 Rafael Nadal on the all-time list, but the $5.5 million winner’s check would make Djokovic the first tennis player in history with more than $200 million in career prize money. On the other hand, Djokovic revealed this month after losing his first match at the Cincinnati Open that he has been dealing with “a health issue” for many years, without elaborating. As he approaches retirement, Djokovic has a robust sponsor portfolio, joining investment firm General Atlantic as a “global strategic advisor” in June to go with deals including Hublot, Lacoste and Qatar Airways. He was also the subject of The Wolf in Winter, an Amazon Prime Video documentary released this month.
#7. $22.6 million
AGE: 23 | NATIONALITY: China | ON-COURT: $0.6 million • OFF-COURT: $22 million
Robert Prange/Getty Images
An elbow injury forced Zheng to have surgery in July 2025, and she hasn’t yet been able to recapture the form that earned her an Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games, a drought that has dropped her singles ranking to No. 121 and forced her to slog her way through U.S. Open qualifying. But even if Zheng is not a prominent presence on tour right now, the 23-year-old remains hard to miss in her native China, appearing in ads for brands including Alipay, tea chain Chagee and dairy producer Yili Group. Zheng also announced deals this year with Turkish Airlines and Qwen, Alibaba’s AI platform.
#8. $20.5 million
AGE: 25 | NATIONALITY: Poland | ON-COURT: $5.5 million • OFF-COURT: $15 million
Robert Prange/Getty Images
Winner of six Grand Slam titles, including the 2022 U.S. Open, Swiatek has a long way to go to match Serena Williams’ Open era women’s record of 23, but the 25-year-old Pole is gaining ground at the Masters 1000 level. Swiatek won the Canadian Open this month for her 12th trophy in the category, which was introduced in 2009, leaving her one behind Williams’ record. She is now 26-5 in WTA tournament finals, giving her the best winning percentage of any player with 20 or more such matches since 1990. Swiatek, who is backed by sponsors including Coach, On and Oral-B, is also the only tennis player—man or woman—to have reached the third round at every major since the start of 2020.
#9. $18.7 million
AGE: 29 | NATIONALITY: Germany | ON-COURT: $13.7 million • OFF-COURT: $5 million
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Overshadowed early in his career by the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and more recently by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Zverev had his major breakthrough in June with a five-sets victory over Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final. The 29-year-old German now has $68.6 million in career ATP prize money, trailing Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Sinner but leading Alcaraz. Off the court, Zverev’s reputation has been damaged by domestic abuse accusations—he settled a case brought by a former girlfriend in 2024 and has denied the allegations—but he announced a new endorsement deal in November with Loewe.
#10. $17.4 million
AGE: 27 | NATIONALITY: Kazakhstan | ON-COURT: $11.4 million • OFF-COURT: $6 million
Katelyn Mulcahy/WTA/Getty Images
Rybakina started 2026 the same way she ended 2025: with a big win. After triumphing at the WTA Finals in November to collect $5.2 million in prize money—to that point, the largest winner’s check ever in women’s tennis—Rybakina, who was born in Russia but represents Kazakhstan internationally, edged Aryna Sabalenka for the Australian Open title in January. Now, the 27-year-old is seeking her third career Grand Slam victory at the U.S. Open, where she has never advanced past the fourth round. Such a run would be welcome news for sponsors that include Kazakhstan’s Bank RBK, Vanguart watches and Yonex.
METHODOLOGY
The Forbes ranking of the world’s highest-paid tennis players reflects on-court earnings over the last 12 months, dating to the 2025 U.S. Open, including prize money and player payouts from the ATP Tour’s profit-sharing program and fixed bonus pool. (The fixed bonuses correspond to the 2025 season; the profit-sharing figures for that year have not been finalized yet, so Forbes includes the 2024 season payouts, which players received in 2025.) The on-court figures are rounded to the nearest $100,000 and have been converted to U.S. dollars when necessary.
Off-court earnings estimates, which are rounded to the nearest $1 million, are determined through conversations with industry insiders and reflect income from endorsements, licensing, memorabilia, appearances and exhibitions, as well as cash returns from any businesses in which the athlete has a significant interest.
The list includes athletes active during the 12-month time period. Forbes does not include investment income such as interest payments or dividends but does account for payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold. Forbes does not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees.
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