As the Australian Open draws near, it’s not just the trophies up for grabs at Melbourne Park that generate buzz—it’s the bank accounts of tennis’ biggest stars. While the AU$96.5 million prize pool is the tournament’s largest yet, the top players on court in January have made a fair chunk of their real fortunes off it.

Words by Sam Hussey & Josh Lai

From lucrative sponsorships to savvy investments, this year’s contenders for the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy are pulling in millions well beyond their on-court winnings.

Reigning men’s champion Jannik Sinner is a prime example. The Italian’s off-court portfolio is expanding fast, with Rolex among his most prominent endorsements alongside the likes of Gucci, skincare line La Roche-Posay and De Cecco pasta.

Sinner, who will kick off his title defence against unseeded Chilean Nicholas Jarry, credits much of his success in 2024 to the unique atmosphere at Melbourne Park, where he’s the bookies hot favourite to go back-to-back this month.

“Every season has its own story, and you never know what will happen, but for us it always starts in Australia which I’m very happy about. I always feel good playing at Melbourne Park; I really love the people and the fans – there is a great energy,” Sinner said of his pending return to Rod Laver Arena.

Meanwhile, World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz also returns, leading the next-gen charge at this year’s Open, with endorsements from Nike, Babolat and Rolex, while Novak Djokovic remains a commercial powerhouse with deals across Lacoste, Asics and Hublot. Daniil Medvedev, one of the most consistent performers on tour, has his own haul of sponsorship deals, including BMW, Lacoste and Ubisoft.

On the women’s side,World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka returns to Melbourne park, looking to make history and claim three-straight championships. Away from the court, she’s recently landed a deal with acai franchise Oakberry.

But perhaps the longest list of off-court endorsements goes to 2021 Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka, whose deals include Autograph, Beats by Dre, Etsy, Hyperice, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Meta, Modern Health, Morinaga & Company, Nike, Panasonic, Tag Heuer, Wowow Inc, Yonex and Zico.

The highest-paid players competing at the Australian Open

#1. $42.3 million

Carlos Alcaraz

AGE: 21 | NATIONALITY: Spain | ON-COURT: $10.3 mil • OFF-COURT: $32 mil

#2. $37.2 million

Novak Djokovic

AGE: 37 | NATIONALITY: Serbia | ON-COURT: $12.2 mil • OFF-COURT: $25 mil

#3. $27.1 million

Coco Gauff

AGE: 20 | NATIONALITY: U.S. | ON-COURT: $7.1 mil • OFF-COURT: $20 mil

#4. $26.7 million

Iga Swiatek

AGE: 23 | NATIONALITY: Poland | ON-COURT: $11.7 mil • OFF-COURT: $15 mil

#5. $26.6 million

Jannik Sinner

AGE: 23 | NATIONALITY: Italy | ON-COURT: $11.6 mil • OFF-COURT: $15 mil

#6. $20.3 million

Daniil Medvedev

AGE: 28 | NATIONALITY: Russia | ON-COURT: $7.3 mil • OFF-COURT: $13 mil

#7. $14.6 million

Naomi Osaka

AGE: 27 | NATIONALITY: Japan | ON-COURT: $0.6 mil • OFF-COURT: $14 mil

#8. $13.9 million

Casper Ruud

AGE: 26 | NATIONALITY: Norway | ON-COURT: $3.9 mil • OFF-COURT: $10 mil

#9. $13.7 million

Aryna Sabalenka

AGE: 26 | NATIONALITY: Belarus | ON-COURT: $6.7 mil • OFF-COURT: $7 mil

Australian Open prize money

The Australian Open prize pool has risen by 11 per cent from the previous year, totalling AU$96.5 million. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each take home AU$3.5 million, while the doubles champions will earn AU$810,000 per pair, and mixed doubles champions will receive AU$175,000 per team.

Breakdown

First round: $132,000
Second round: $200,000
Third round: $290,000
Fourth round: $420,000
Quarter-finalists: $665,000
Semi-finalists: $1,100,000
Runner-up: $1,900,000
Champion: $3,500,000

Top 10 ranked players competing at the Australian Open

Men’s singles

1. Jannik Sinner
2. Alexander Zverev
3. Carlos Alcaraz
4. Taylor Fritz
5. Daniil Medvedev
6. Casper Ruud
7. Novak Djokovic
8. Alex de Minaur
9. Andrey Rublev
10. Grigor Dimitrov

Women’s singles

1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Coco Gauff
4. Jasmine Paolini
5. Qinwen Zheng
6. Elena Rybakina
7. Jessica Pegula
8. Emma Navarro
9. Daria Kasatkina
10. Danielle Collins

How to watch the Australian Open in Australia

The Australian Open will air on Channel Nine’s Wide World of Sports and stream live and on-demand on Stan Sport. The tournament will run from 6 to 26 January at Melbourne Park, with the women’s singles final on 25 January and the men’s singles final on the 26 January.

Australian Open ticket prices

Ticket prices for the Australian Open range from $49 to $6,999 per person, depending on the session and seating category. Tickets for the women’s singles final start at $399, while the men’s singles final begins at $1,499.

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Rolex returns for a special anniversary

Jannik Sinner’s Grand Slam breakthrough at last year’s Australian Open was years in the making, but he’s far from the first to write his name into tennis history on Rod Laver Arena. The court, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has been the backdrop for countless defining moments—from Novak Djokovic’s record 10 titles to Caroline Wozniacki’s emotional maiden major win.

Rolex, which has been the tournament’s Official Timekeeper since 2008, has had a front-row seat for much of it. For Rod Laver, seeing his name on the arena remains a career highlight.

“Rolex being part of the Australian Open is important for tennis and for our country on the global stage,” Laver says. “It’s an incredible partnership and one that I have seen thrive over many years.”

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Methodology

All on-court and off-court figures are in USD. On-court earnings figures reflect prize money and Olympic medal bonuses collected over the last 12 months, dating to the 2023 U.S. Open, and are rounded to the nearest $100,000. Off-court earnings estimates are determined through conversations with industry insiders and reflect income (rounded to the nearest $1 million) from endorsements, appearances, licensing and memorabilia, as well as cash returns from any businesses in which the athlete has a significant interest. The list includes athletes active during the 12-month time period.

Forbes does not include investment income such as interest payments or dividends but does account for payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold. Forbes does not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees.

With additional reporting from forbes.com.