Alcaraz, Djokovic dominate Forbes highest-paid tennis players list

On Friday, Forbes released their list of the world’s highest-paid tennis players in 2024, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic dominating the earnings. The Spanish superstar sits atop the rankings, earning $10.3 million on court, mainly through sponsorships with Nike, Rolex, and a docuseries deal with Netflix, and a whopping $32 million off the court. Alcaraz collected the top prize cheque at Indian Wells, as well as Roland Garros, and Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, world No 2 Novak Djokovic lags behind Alcaraz by $5.1 million, but still possesses and impressive haul of $37.2 million for overall earnings. The Serb has earned $1.9 million more on the court than the list leader, with the real disparity being the $7 million extra that the Spaniard has earned through his off court ties. Djokovic has had a mixed year, reaching the Wimbledon final and finally getting his hands on Olympic gold, but not much else to boast about – only by his ultra-high standards.

Gauff, Sinner, and Swiatek display similar earnings

$500,000 separates the three players occupying the third, fourth, and fifth places on the list, with Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Jannik Sinner filling those places, respectively.

The American has seen a boost in her earnings from 2023, collecting $7.1 million on court – including a maiden major title – and $20 million off the court, through collaborations with brands such as fashion line ‘American Eagle’ and the ‘Naked’ juice brandings. Both the Pole and the Italian earned $15 million off the court, as both world No 1s continue to develop their personal brands to the marketing world, and with the four-time Roland Garros champion bringing in $11.7 million on the court, $100,000 more than the defending Australian Open winner.

Nadal sixth – third highest off court earnings – ahead of medvedev, Osaka

22-time major winner Rafael Nadal has had a mediocre 2024 by his standards, with his tournament highlights coming in Bastad – where he made the final – and at the Madrid Masters – where he made the quarter-final. Nadal has attempted to find his form, as he returned from major hip surgery in 2023, but an abdominal strain caused him to withdraw from Doha, Indian Wells, and Monte Carlo. The lackluster results have translated to on court earnings of $300,000, but the Spaniard makes up for the relatively small haul by possessing the third highest off court earnings, with $23 million, just behind Djokovic and Alcaraz.

In seventh and eighth place are world No 5 Danill Medvedev and former No 1 Naomi Osaka, bringing in a total of $20.3 million and $14.6 million, respectively. Similarly to Nadal, the vast majority of Osaka’s earnings were made off court, after a slimmed down schedule, with $14 million coming from brands such as Maybelline and Meta AI. The Russian has enjoyed decent success in 2024, reaching the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami finals, as well as the Wimbledon semi-finals, which brings his on court earnings to $7.3 million.

Ruud and Sabalenka finish the star studded list

three-time major finalist Casper Ruud occupies the ninth place in the list, with a solid 2024 season producing titles in Geneva and Barcelona, a final in Monte Carlo, as well as a semi-final at Roland Garros; totaling $3.9 million on court income. Deals with Renault and Fleming Watches push the Norwegian to $10 million in off court earnings, for a total of $13.9 million.

Topping off the end of the list is world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, with the defending Australian Open and Cincinnati champion collecting $6.7 million on court, more than Ruud, however, falls to tenth place in off court earnings, with $7 million.

Full 2024 Forbes highest-earning tennis players list (million $):

1. Alcaraz, 42.3
2. Djokovic, 37.2
3. Gauff, 27.1
4. Swiatek, 26.7
5. Sinner, 26.6
6. Nadal, 23.3
7. Medvedev, 20.3
8. Osaka, 14.6
9. Ruud, 13.9
10. Sabalenka, 13.7

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