Carlos Alcaraz was forced to skip the French Open and Wimbledon this year, as he recovers from a wrist injury. The Spanish tennis pro had won the last two French Opens and made three straight All England Finals, including two titles, but he will have to wait to add a third that would tie John McEnroe and Boris Becker for the most Wimbledon wins during the Open era.
Yet, Alcaraz does finish on top of Sportico’s look at the highest-paid tennis players over the past year, despite being sidelined for the past two-and-a-half months. Alcaraz earned an estimated $62.9 million, including $44 million from endorsements and appearance fees. He finished a tick ahead of Jannik Sinner at $59 million.
The Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry has dominated men’s tennis the past three years, following two decades of the Big Three hogging 66 of 81 the Grand Slam events between 2003 and 2023. Alcaraz and Sinner won nine straight Slams before Alexander Zverev stopped their run at the 2026 French Open. At 23 (Alcaraz) and 24 (Sinner), they already rank fifth and sixth in ATP career prize money—Zverev nudged past them at Roland Garros, with all three around $65 million.
While men nab the first two slots, women dominate the rest of the way, with six in the top 10. Coco Gauff ($40.3 million) and Serena Williams ($40 million) also topped $40 million, with both of their earnings profiles overwhelmingly from off-the-court deals. Williams’ estimated earnings are higher than when she was playing tennis full-time.
