What is the Highest Paying Tennis Tournament?
Tennis is known as a lucrative sport, and the prize money at some of the world’s biggest tournaments can be eye-watering. With some of the biggest names in the sport competing for the biggest cash prizes, it can be difficult to keep track of which tennis tournament pays the most.
The Grand Slams
The Grand Slams are the four biggest tournaments in tennis – the US Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open – and they usually pay out the highest amount of prize money.
The US Open is the highest paying Grand Slam, with a total prize fund of $57 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will pocket $3.5 million each, while the runners-up will receive $1.75 million.
The French Open is the second highest paying Grand Slam, with a total prize fund of €42 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive €2.3 million each, while the runners-up will take home €1.15 million.
Wimbledon is the third highest paying Grand Slam, with a total prize fund of £38.1 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive £2.35 million each, while the runners-up will get £1.18 million.
The Australian Open is the lowest paying Grand Slam, with a total prize fund of AU$71 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive AU$4.1 million each, while the runners-up will take home AU$2.05 million.
Masters 1000 Tournaments
The Masters 1000 tournaments are the second biggest tournaments in tennis, after the Grand Slams. There are nine of these events each year, and they usually pay out the second-highest amount of prize money.
The Indian Wells Masters is the highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of $7.5 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $1.5 million each, while the runners-up will get $750,000.
The Miami Open is the second highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of $6 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $1 million each, while the runners-up will take home $500,000.
The Monte-Carlo Masters is the third highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of €5 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive €800,000 each, while the runners-up will get €400,000.
- The Madrid Open is the fourth highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of €4.5 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive €800,000 each, while the runners-up will take home €400,000.
- The Rome Masters is the fifth highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of €4.5 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive €600,000 each, while the runners-up will get €300,000.
- The Canadian Masters is the sixth highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of $4 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $750,000 each, while the runners-up will take home $375,000.
- The Cincinnati Masters is the seventh highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of $3.9 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $700,000 each, while the runners-up will get $350,000.
- The Shanghai Masters is the eighth highest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of €3.2 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive €500,000 each, while the runners-up will take home €250,000.
- The Paris Masters is the ninth and lowest paying Masters 1000 tournament, with a total prize fund of €3 million for 2020. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive €500,000 each, while the runners-up will get €250,000.
ATP Tour Finals
The ATP Tour Finals is the season-ending tournament for the men’s ATP Tour, and is one of the most lucrative events in tennis. The total prize fund for 2020 is $9 million, with the singles champion taking home $2.7 million and the runner-up receiving $1.3 million.
WTA Finals
The WTA Finals is the season-ending tournament for the women’s WTA Tour, and is one of the most lucrative events in tennis. The total prize fund for 2020 is $14 million, with the singles champion taking home $4.3 million and the runner-up receiving $2.15 million.
Davis Cup and Fed Cup
The Davis Cup and the Fed Cup are the two biggest team tennis competitions in the world. The Davis Cup is the men’s competition, while the Fed Cup is the women’s competition.
The Davis Cup has a total prize fund of $20 million for 2020, with the winning team taking home $2.4 million and the runner-up receiving $1.2 million.
The Fed Cup has a total prize fund of $4 million for 2020, with the winning team taking home $500,000 and the runner-up receiving $250,000.
Olympics
The Olympic Games is the biggest multi-sport event in the world, and tennis is one of the most popular sports on the programme. The total prize fund for the tennis event in 2020 is $6 million, with the men’s and women’s singles champions taking home $700,000 each, and the runners-up receiving $350,000 each.
ATP Challenger and ITF Pro Circuit Tournaments
The ATP Challenger and ITF Pro Circuit tournaments are the lowest tier of professional tennis. The prize money at these events is much lower than at the top-tier tournaments, but it is still enough to make a living for many players.
The ATP Challenger tournaments have a total prize fund of $50,000 for 2020, with the singles champion taking home $7,200 and the runner-up receiving $3,600.
The ITF Pro Circuit tournaments have a total prize fund of $25,000 for 2020, with the singles champion taking home $3,600 and the runner-up receiving $1,800.
Conclusion
Tennis is a sport where the prize money can be very high. The highest paying tennis tournament is the US Open, with a total prize fund of $57 million for 2020. The runners-up are the French Open, the Wimbledon and the Indian Wells Masters, all with prize funds of around €42 million, £38.1 million and $7.5 million respectively.
Other high paying tournaments include the WTA Finals, the Davis Cup, the ATP Tour Finals and the Olympics, with prize funds of $14 million, $20 million, $9 million and $6 million respectively.
At the lower level, the ATP Challenger tournaments and the ITF Pro Circuit tournaments have prize funds of $50,000 and $25,000 respectively.
Overall, it is clear that the prize money in tennis can be very lucrative, and the biggest tournaments can pay out huge sums of money.