There’s more than just glory at stake for the top tennis players.
As well as the sporting history and memories that come with playing in and winning Grand Slams, there’s also a huge earning power in the sport.
The Coral News Team has all the info on the top 15 earners on the court – from memorable victories to final heartbreak and the possibility of more prize money and titles in the future…
1. Roger Federer – £86,118,325
The Swiss ace is the highest paid athlete in the sport’s history – which isn’t a huge surprise considering his longevity and dominance.
Federer has 20 Grand Slam titles under his belt to date, with Wimbledon the most profitable venue – in every sense – for the 36-year-old.
The current world number two has won Wimbledon eight times, and is the current holder after 2017’s final defeat of Marin Cilic in straight sets.
Despite his advancing years, Federer is showing no signs of letting up, having won the 2018 Australian Open.
The Serbian isn’t too far behind Federer in earnings, and at 31-years-old, can surely catch Federer on the list.
The Australian Open has been the happiest hunting ground for Djokovic. He’s picked up maximum prize money six times – and won the tournament three years on the spin from 2011-2013.
However, he fell short at the French Open in June 2018; suffering a shock quarter-final loss to world number 72 Marco Cecchinato.
The ‘King of Clay’ gained his nickname from a truly spectacular period of dominance at the French Open. Between 2005 and 2017, Nadal won an astonishing 10 titles at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard is continuing to pick up the key titles and big payouts that come with Grand Slam glory. Last year saw the 32-year-old win two major titles in the same year, adding a U.S. Open crown to his French Open success.
4. Serena Williams – £63,093,958
The highest paid female tennis player in the sport’s history, Serena is also the most successful in the annals of the Women’s game.
Nobody can match her 23 Grand Slam titles, including seven titles apiece in the Australian Open and Wimbledon. No fellow Women’s player is likely to come close to her earnings any time soon. Serena’s £64,093,958 haul is more than twice that of any competitor.
5. Andy Murray – £45,322,369
The highest-earning Brit on the list, Murray’s reputation and bank account have both skyrocketed since his first Grand Slam victory in 2012 at the U.S. Open.
The Scot’s best year to date has been 2016, where he reached three Grand Slam finals, securing a second career Wimbledon title by beating Milos Raonic in straight sets. However, a recent run of injuries have put Murray’s future at the top level in doubt.
6. Pete Sampras – £43,280,489
The Washington D.C. native is the richest player to have retired, having played his last professional game in September 2002.
One of the sport’s greatest ever players during his peak, the American won nine Grand Slams between 1993 and 1997. Sampras held the Open Era record for most Wimbledon titles with seven, before Roger Federer landed his eighth in 2017.
7. Venus Williams – £29,792,131
Second in the Women’s earnings rankings, Williams is still playing professionally at 37-years-old. However, unlike her sister Serena, Venus’ top performances and high-earning days are behind her.
The American hasn’t won a grand slam since 2008, when she picked up maximum prize money at Wimbledon, beating Serena in straight sets in the final.
Venus remains a big draw and a household name but has reached just two finals in the last eight years. She exited both the Australian and French Opens in the first round in 2018.
8. Maria Sharapova – £27,728,982
Despite a 15-month absence from the game at the height of her powers, Sharapova’s earnings from the game still look extremely healthy.
It’s easy to forget that the Russian ace is still just 31-years-old. She made her first Grand Slam appearance as a 15-year-old back in 2003, winning Wimbledon the following year.
With several years on Venus, she could well leapfrog the veteran American in the earnings table before long!
9. Andre Agassi – £23,227,658
Agassi met his compatriot Sampras in five Grand Slam finals, with both players jostling for the WTA world number one spot throughout the 1990s.
The man from Las Vegas won just one of those finals, but fared better against other rivals – signing off with four Australian Open titles, and another quartet of wins shared around the other three majors.
His last great hurrah came in Sydney in 2003, with a commanding 3-0 final defeat of Rainer Schuttler.
10. David Ferrer – £23,050,849
The inclusion of the Spaniard may come as some surprise. After all, he’s never won a major tournament – and has reached just one French Open final, back in 2013.
However, his involvement in tournaments outside the Grand Slams has been impressive and exhaustive. He won a Masters 1000 final in 2012, as well as ten ATP World Tour 500 Series titles.
The tireless 36-year-old even reached the semi-finals of the 2012 Olympics as a doubles player.
11. Stan Wawrinka – £23,110,252
The second-richest Swiss player after Federer, Wawrinka has enjoyed an impressive career but has seen his number of major titles – and bumper prize money – limited by the era’s top competitors.
Along the way, he’s won three Grand Slams, with titles in Australia, France and, in 2016, the USA. However, Wimbledon has eluded him so far.
That’s the next major awaiting the 33-year-old, who will be bidding to build on two quarter-final appearances in the last four stagings.
12. Caroline Wozniacki – £22,412,585
The youngest player in this tennis rich list, the 27-year-old is currently world number two, behind Romania’s Simona Halep.
However, Wozniacki could be in the ascendancy, having beaten Halep in a thrilling Australian Open final in January. That victory gave the Dane her first ever Grand Slam title, having been runner-up at Flushing Meadows on multiple occasions.
13. Victoria Azarenka – £21,198,294
The tall Belarussian was at the top of her game in the early noughties, winning back-to-back Aussie Opens in 2012 and 2013. The latter saw a thrilling comeback win against China’s Li Na.
Recent years haven’t been as kind to the 28-year-old, who hasn’t reached any major quarter-final since early 2016. However, she did make the cut for this year’s French Open – bowing out early to Katerina Siniakova.
14. Tomas Berdych – £21,386,136
The 32-year-old has spent his career as the nearly-man of tennis. Berdych has made it to six Grand Slam semi-finals and one final. But despite never lifting any of the big four, he’s made a fair bit of money from the sport.
The Czech player is still going, and reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January 2018. Next up is Wimbledon, where he reached the semis last year. Could this finally be his time?
15. Agnieszka Radwanska – £20,405,183
Ranked as high as world number two back in 2012, Radwanska has been a solid performer since – and has the legendary Martina Navratilova as her coach.
Radwanska’s best results so far have mostly come at Wimbledon. In 2012, she beat Angelique Kerber en route to the final – before a narrow defeat to Serena Williams. She’ll be looking to recapture that magic in London this year, despite a fourth-round exit in 2017.
Prize money converted into GBP using $1 = £0.75 exchange rate
Data is sourced from 2018 UK Business Insider, calculated from the ATP and WTA tours. Doubles and mixed-double earning are included in the career winnings, but not included in the number of title won.
