As we gear up for another competitive tennis year with 2017 tennis calendar starting with first grand slam of the year in Australia we take a look at top 20 tennis stars with highest career “on-court” prize money earned. Currently Novak Djokovic leads the way with $107.8 million in total prize money earned through his illustrious career while Roger Federer comes second with $98.8 million on court earnings. Sareena Williams leads the women money ranking with $81 million in “on-court” career earnings.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic became the first tennis stars to reach $100 million in career prize money earnings. Looking at their 2016 earnings Djokovic earned around $14.6 million while Sereena Williams could added another $7m in 2016 to take her career prize money total over $81 million.
Djokovic and Federer also have lucarative endorsement deals which takes their actual earnings to whole new level but we are talking about only the officially disclosed prize money won in ATP and grand slam events. Rafael Nadal who has been unlucky with injuries throughout his career has accumulated around $78.9 million in career prize money. Lets take a look at top 10 mens tennis stars with highest career prize money.
| MONEY RANK | PLAYER | TOTAL CAREER PRIZE MONEY | 2016 PRIZE MONEY |
| 1 |  Novak Djokovic |
$108.8 million | $14.6 million |
| 2 |  Roger Federer |
$97.8 million | $4.69 million |
| 3 |  Rafael Nadal |
$78.7 million | $2.95 million |
| 4 |  Andy Murray |
$58.8 million | $16.2 million |
| 5 |  Pete Samras |
$43.2 million | Retired |
| 6 | Andre Agassi |
$31.1 million | Retired |
| 7 | David Ferrer |
$29.7 million | $1.4 million |
| 8 | Stan Wawrinka |
$27.8 million | $6.95 million |
| 9 |  Boris Becker |
$25.0 million | Retired |
| 10 |  Tomas Berdych |
$26.4 million | $2.85 million |
| 11 |  Yevgeny Kafelnikov |
$23.8 million | Retired |
| 12 | Ivan Lendl |
$21.2 million | Retired |
| 13 |  Lleyton Hewitt |
$20.7 million | Retired |
| 14 | Andy Roddick |
$20.6 million | Retired |
| 15 |  Stefan Edberg |
$20.6 million | Retired |
| 16 |  Goran Ivanisevic |
$19.8 million | Retired |
| 17 | Michael Chang |
$19.1 million | Retired |
| 18 |  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
$18.9 million | $2.30 million |
| 19 | Marin Cilic |
$16.8 million | – |
| 20 |  Juan Martin Del Potro |
$16.2 million | $900,000 |
| MONEY RANK | PLAYER | TOTAL CAREER PRIZE MONEY | CAREER ERA |
| 1 | Serena Williams |
$81.7 million | 1995 – |
| 2 | Maria Sharapova |
$36.4 million | 2001 – |
| 3 | Venus Williams |
$34.4 million | 1994 – |
| 4 |  Victoria Azarenka |
$28.2 million | 2003 – |
| 5 |  Agnieszka Radwańska |
$26 million | 2005 – |
| 6 |  Kim Clijsters |
$24.4 million | 1997 – 2007 |
| 7 | Martina Hingis |
$23.1 million | 1994 – 2013 |
| 8 | Petra Kvitová |
$22.8 million | 2006 |
| 9 | Lindsay Davenport |
$22.16 million | 1993 – 2010 |
| 10 |  Caroline Wozniacki |
$22.12 million | 2005 – |
| 11 | Stefanie “Steffi” Graf |
$21.9 million | 1982 – 1999 |
| 12 | Svetlana Kuznetsova |
$21.8 million | 2000 – |
| 13 | Martina Navratilova |
$21.6 million | 1975 – 1999 |
| 14 | Justine Henin |
$20.8 million | 1999 – 2011 |
| 15 | Angelique Kerber |
$19.3 million | 2003 – |
| 16 | Jelena Janković |
$18.7 million | 2002 – |
| 17 | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
$16.9 million | 1985 – 2004 |
| 18 |  Li Na |
$16.7 million | 1999 – 2014 |
| 19 | Samantha Stosur |
$16.4 million | 1999 – |
| 20 | Ana Ivanovic |
$16.1 million | 2003- |
this is VERY WRONG… The Women’s top 10 Standings as of Jan 16, 2017: $81,761,761 – WILLIAMS, SERENA
$36,484,486 – SHARAPOVA, MARIA
$34,435,058 – WILLIAMS, VENUS
$28,244,443 – AZARENKA, VICTORIA
$26,023,897 – RADWANSKA,AGNIESKA
$24,442,340 – CLIJSTERS, KIM
$23,159,166 – HINGIS, MARTINA
$22,891,696 – KVITOVA, PETRA
$22,166,338 – DAVENPORT, LINDSAY
$22,112,391 – WOZNIACKI, CAROLINE
Serena Williams has had nearly 3 times as much as Maria Sharapova for many many years….
Serena williams has 23 grandslams in her name and far ahead of both male and female active tennis player, but is far behind novak djokovic and roger federer in career prize money earnings . So unfair for our female athletes.
They only play the best of three sets in Grand Slams, so they should get paid less! The more you work, the more you get paid.
What about who draws the largest crowds (in-person and televised ). At least at the US Open – for a few years running -the womens final was a primetime television event. Otherwise, point taken in number of sets played. Best of 5 is a lot more tennis.
How many times has the mens best of 3 winner end up losing the best of 5..
Tennis is unfair really?? Go look at every sport in the world from Soccer to tidily winks and name the sport that is more fair to women. Top twenty women earners are within 10% of the men for half the work and half the ratings. U.S. Open is an anomaly due to the fact the men play on Monday and Roger wasn’t in the finals.
Sharapova should be made to give the money she earned illegally whilst taking banned drugs to charity as well as her clothing sponsorship money.
I agree prize money should be equal, but women only play the best of three sets in Slams, hence payday should be less!
Ivan Lendl and a flag of Russia next to his name…. What a shame!!!!! You idiots!!!! He has nothing to do with Russians!!!! He ran away from former Czechoslovakia because of communists and you put Russian flag next to him…. unbelievable….