ATP Finals prize money: Why payouts at one of tennis’s most lucrative events have been cut by up to 59 per cent
What the ATP Finals lacks in prestige next to grand slam events it makes up for in prize money.
Or at least it did. Because this year’s prize money fund at the men’s tennis showpiece has been cut by more than a third.
And whoever claims the title on Sunday will bank barely half the $2.66m scooped by Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2019.
Payouts are down in part because spectators are barred from the O2 in London this week, due to the pandemic.
The ATP Finals usually attracts up to 40,000 fans a day, paying anything from £28 to £166 each.
The women’s equivalent, the WTA Finals, was cancelled this year.
How much is the prize money at the ATP Finals?
Players are due to receive a base fee of $153,000 for participating, plus the same amount for each win in the round-robin stage. That fee is down 29 per cent from last year.
Winning a semi-final is worth $402,000, a 39 per cent reduction. Victory in the final means an extra $550,000, a payout slashed by 59 per cent.
A player who wins the title undefeated would receive $1.56m. Last year that prize was $2.87m.
| 2020 | 2019 | % change | |
| Participation | $153,000 | $215,000 | -28.8 |
| Round robin win | $153,000 | $215,000 | -28.8 |
| Semi-final win | $402,000 | $657,000 | -38.8 |
| Final win | $550,000 | $1,354,000 | -59.4 |
| Champion (minimum) | $1,411,000 | $2,656,000 | -46.9 |
| Champion (maximum) | $1,564,000 | $2,871,000 | -45.5 |
| Total prize fund | $5,700,000 | $9,000,000 | -36.7 |
How ATP Finals prize money compares to grand slams
The ATP Finals usually offers a level of prize money reserved for grand slams — but for a week’s work instead of two.
The tournament is a big-money extravaganza for the best eight players on the men’s tour of that year.
Grand slam organisers have also had to tighten their belts in 2019, however.
Prize money fell at both the French Open and the US Open.
Wimbledon was cancelled, while the Australian Open took place in January, before Covid-19 had peaked.
| Tournament | 2020 winner’s prize | 2019 winner’s prize |
| Australian Open | $2.76m | $2.94m |
| French Open | $1.89m | $2.61m |
| Wimbledon | N/A | $2.96m |
| US Open | $3m | $3.85m |
| ATP Finals | $1.41 | $2.66m |