Ranking the Highest-Paying Events in Professional Tennis

The 2026 season has seen prize pools increase at every Grand Slam, continuing the trend of money flowing into professional tennis. I researched the highest-paying tournaments on the ATP calendar and ranked them by what the singles champion takes home. The US Open tops the sport’s sanctioned tour events in 2026, with two season-ending championships close behind. Here's how the biggest paydays compare in professional tennis.

1. US Open: $5.5 Million

The US Open is the highest-paying Grand Slam on the schedule, awarding its singles winners $5.5 million each. The total prize pool is $108 million, which is up 20% from $90 million last year. This made the US Open the first major to cross $100 million.

The US Open was also a trailblazer in terms of pay equity, becoming the first major to pay men and women equally in 1973. The recent increases come as players push for a bigger share of tournament revenue. In 2025, 20 players, including Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, signed a letter asking the Grand Slams to raise prize money to “a more appropriate percentage of tournament revenues.”

Round	Prize Money (USD)
Champion	$5,500,000
Runner-up	$2,800,000
Semifinalist	$1,450,000
Quarterfinalist	$780,000
Fourth round	$480,000
Third round	$290,000
Second round	$190,000
First round	$140,000

2. WTA Finals: $5.15 Million

The WTA Finals pays more than any women’s event on the WTA calendar outside of Grand Slams. In 2025, Elena Rybakina earned $5.235 million for winning the championship undefeated, which made it the largest payout in women’s sports history at the time. The 2025 prize pool was also a record $15.5 million, split between $12.4 million for singles and $3.1 million for doubles. The pool grew nearly 70% between 2023 and 2024 alone, and the 2026 pool is listed at the same $15.5 million.

Players are paid for every round-robin match they win at the WTA Finals, meaning an undefeated champion earns the most, and a player who loses all three matches still collects a participation fee. The event moved to Indian Wells this year after the WTA ended its Saudi Arabia agreement a year early, and it will move to Charlotte in 2027.

Round	Prize Money (USD)
Undefeated champion	$5,155,000
Championship win (on top of round-robin earnings)	$3,770,000
Semifinal win	$2,695,000
Round-robin match win	$350,000 each
Participation	$335,000 for three matches, $275,000 for two, $225,000 for one

3. ATP Finals: $5.07 Million

Like the WTA, the ATP Finals is the highest-paying event on the ATP Tour outside the US Open, especially for players who go undefeated. Jannik Sinner earned a record $5.071 million as the undefeated champion in 2025, the highest payout ever for an ATP Finals winner, topping the $4.881 million he collected in 2024. The pool hit a record $15.5 million in 2025, up from $15.25 million in 2024.

The prize pool is split differently by the ATP and WTA Tours, meaning the men’s singles champion earns slightly less than the women’s singles champion. On the men’s side, players are awarded more for round-robin wins, while the WTA increases payouts in the latter stages of the tournament. The 2026 prize pool hasn’t been confirmed yet, with the event running November 15th to 22nd in Turin, where Sinner, the two-time defending champion, will not play because of his knee injury.

Round	Prize Money (USD)
Undefeated champion	$5,071,000
Championship win (on top of round-robin earnings)	$2,367,000
Semifinal win	$1,183,500
Round-robin match win	$396,500 each
Participation	$331,000 for three matches, $248,250 for two, $165,500 for one

4. Wimbledon: £3.6 Million (~$4.8 Million)

This year, Wimbledon gave its players the biggest prize money increase in the tournament’s history. The 2026 pool was a record £64.2 million, up 20% from £53.5 million in 2025. Singles champions took home £3.6 million, which is roughly $4.8 million. The prize money increase has been distributed more heavily towards the bottom of the draw, and first-round prize money has grown 160% over the last decade, twice as fast as the champion’s check.

Round	Prize Money (GBP)
Champion	£3,600,000
Runner-up	£1,800,000
Semifinalist	£900,000
Quarterfinalist	£480,000
Fourth round	£300,000
Third round	£185,000
Second round	£126,000
First round	£80,000

5. Roland Garros: €2.8 Million (~$3.25 Million)

Roland Garros, also known as the French Open, raised its prize money by the smallest percentage of the four majors in 2026. However, it still set an all-time record for the tournament’s highest total prize pool. The 2026 pool was €61.7 million, which is up 9.5% from €56.4 million in 2025. The champion’s check for men’s and women’s singles rose by 9.8% to €2.8 million in 2026, or approximately $3.25 million.

Round	Prize Money (EUR)
Champion	€2,800,000
Runner-up	€1,400,000
Semifinalist	€750,000
Quarterfinalist	€470,000
Fourth round	€285,000
Third round	€187,000
Second round	€130,000
First round	€87,000

6. Australian Open: AU$4.15 Million (~$2.79 Million)

At A$4.15 million, the Australian Open’s singles champion earns the least out of all four majors in U.S. dollars, despite following the recent trend of Grand Slams increasing prize money. The prize pool was A$111.5 million in 2026, up 16% from A$96.5 million in 2025 and marking the largest increase in the tournament's history.

Tennis Australia distributed much of the increase to the early rounds, with qualifying prize money rising by 16% this year and a first-round loser earning a record A$150,000. Every singles and doubles player received at least a 10% increase in 2026, and the champion’s check now amounts to A$4,150,000, a 19% increase from A$3.5 million last year.

Round	Prize Money (AUD)
Champion	A$4,150,000
Runner-up	A$2,150,000
Semifinalist	A$1,250,000
Quarterfinalist	A$750,000
Fourth round	A$480,000
Third round	A$327,750
Second round	A$225,000
First round	A$150,000

7. ATP Masters 1000 Events: $1.15 Million

A Masters 1000 champion on the ATP Tour earns roughly $1.151 million and 1,000 ranking points, only about a fifth of what the US Open champion takes home. At the Shanghai Masters in 2026, the men’s prize pool is $9.416 million, which is up about 2.4% from 2025. The champion’s payout has also increased, with the winner taking home $1.151 million.

All five 96-player hard-court Masters events, including Indian Wells, Miami, Canada, Cincinnati, and Shanghai, share the same pool. Meanwhile, the 56-player events in Monte-Carlo and Paris have a pool of €6,309,095. The women’s WTA 1000 event in Beijing, the China Open, also pays the same, awarding its champion $1.151 million from a $9.416 million pool, identical to Shanghai’s.

Round	Prize Money (USD)
Champion	$1,151,380
Runner-up	$612,340
Semifinalist	$340,190
Quarterfinalist	$193,645
Fourth round	$105,720
Third round	$61,865
Second round	$36,110
First round	$23,760

*This list ranks tour events based on the singles champion’s payout. Foreign currencies are converted at approximate rates, meaning the Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and Australian Open dollar figures may vary slightly with exchange rates.

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