Saudi was a shock to the tennis system and the two are not quite gelling together yet. While Riyadh has been selected as the city for hosting the next three editions of the WTA Finals from 2024-2026, the Saudi PIF’s $2 billion offer is what is coming under scrutiny right now. And it all began with the Madrid Open when Andrey Rublev won less prize money than Novak Djokovic in 2019. Given, the level of the two players is very different and that determines their worth in prize money. But one journalist believes the issue goes much deeper.

Tennis has had a problem with allocating prize money to players, and this has not improved much over time. Players have taken cuts to ensure resources are allocated properly throughout the ATP table. While a noble strategy, it has seen major cuts to significant tournaments over time. The prestige of most tennis tournaments is often depicted by the prize money awarded to the players. If the prize money for the champions continues to reduce, organizers could be in trouble. 

One of the most notable examples of this decline was shared by tennis journalist Jon Wertheim on his ‘X’ page. He talked about the difference in prize money earned by Djokovic in 2019 and Rublev in 2024. “In 2019, @DjokerNolewon the Madrid event and earned €1,202,520…The other day, Rublev won Madrid and earned €963,225….Yes, top players nobly agreed to reallocate prize money downward…But this is a considerable drop-off, esp. given the overall sports economy…“

Since players decided to take reduced prize money to allocate proper sums to lower-ranked tournaments, the ATP has signed a record deal with the PIF, which should have helped them balance out the kinks. Carlos Alcaraz won $1,119,219 in 2022 and then $1,187,662 in 2023, which shows there are funds for the yearly increment in prize money, but they have not been distributed properly amongst tennis professionals.

Even former ATP star John Isner was incensed, and replied to Wertham, “Thank you, Jon. It’s a complete joke.” Given the ‘overall sports economy’, as Wertham put it, the WTA side is not safe from the bias either.

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek went through a similar situation where Sabalenka, in 2023, made $2,934,816, more than Swiatek in 2024 at $1,037,855. The Madrid Open prize money decrement is concerning, which will unfortunately become a pattern as the Italian Open winners might experience similar circumstances.

Italian Open prize money to fall in line with Madrid Open

The prize money for the 2024 ATP Rome Masters will be reduced by a staggering 12.85% compared to the 2023 ATP Rome Masters. In 2023, Daniil Medvedev earned $1,187,662 after winning a fantastic final against Holger Rune. However, the 2024 champion will go home with a cheque of $1,035,033. 

The Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open also saw a reduction in the prize money for champions, but it was not as significant as the one in the Madrid Open or the Rome Masters. Interestingly, the Monte-Carlo Masters experienced a 2.97% jump for the champion and the finalist. 

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The difference in changes for each tournament paints a picture of management, which has yet to understand how funds should be distributed. The remaining Masters tournaments have not yet unveiled their prize money. Will they be in the same pickle?