It pays to be an ace on the tennis court.
After all, the US Open Tennis Championships announced that the prize money for players competing in the 2025 tournament has increased to $90 million, the largest amount in tennis history.
This new purse is a 20% increase from the 2024 US Open, which offered a $75 million payout. And according to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), players will see “double-digit percentage increases from 2024 in all rounds of all events.” Starting with the men’s and women’s single games, winners will take home $5 million at this year’s championship—a 39% raise from last year’s $3.6 million prize that went to champions like Aryna Sabalenka.
Meanwhile, the winning teams from the men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles tournament “will earn $1 million in prize money.”
With this $90-million raise, the 2025 US Open—which will start on Aug. 24 at New York’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center—now sits ahead of the rates that other Grand Slam competitions offered this year. While Wimbledon’s winnings amounted to $71 million, the French Open distributed $65.5 million and the Australian Open’s total was approximately $63 million.
This announcement comes after several players have called out the sports’ disparity in prize money over the years. In fact, Novak Djokovic revealed that tennis offers a “lower” rate compared to other major leagues like football and basketball.
“The pie split between the governing bodies in major sports, all major American sports like NFL, NBA, baseball, NHL, is 50 percent,” the Serbian player explained at a news conference after competing in the Australian Open earlier this year, per The Athletic. “Maybe more, maybe less, but around 50 percent. Ours is way lower than that.”
And while Novak understands that tennis has different “regulations and laws” when it comes to creating their payout, he still wants players’ voices to be heard.
“We want more money, [but] they maybe don’t want to give us as much money when we talk about the prize money,” he continued. “There are so many different layers of the prize money that you have to look into.”
Keep reading to see more athletes discussing their salaries…
Cristiano Ronaldo
For many sports stars, Cristiano Ronaldo‘s salary is goals. After all, the Portuguese soccer player regularly tops lists of highest-paid athletes.
In June 2025, Ronaldo signed a two-year extension with Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia. And while the exact value of the deal wasn’t revealed, multiple outlets reported he received an annual salary of approximately $200 million when he first signed with the team in 2022 after leaving Manchester United in England.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi kicked off his time at Inter Miami CF with a big check. The annualized average guaranteed compensation for the Argentine player—who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the David Beckham-owned team in 2023 after having previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona—is more than $20.4 million, with a current annualized base salary of $12 million, per the MLS Players Association’s 2025 salary guide.
Alex Morgan
However, pay gaps still exist when comparing the salaries of male and female sports stars. Case in point? There were no women on Forbes‘ 2025 list of top 50 highest-paid athletes.
Alex Morgan—who retired from soccer in 2024 after playing her last game with the San Diego Wave—came in at No. 16 on the outlet’s ranking of highest-paid female athletes lastyear. The publication estimated the World Cup champ earned $600,000on-field and $7 million off-field (scoring some solid endorsement deals) in 2024.
And while there have been strides to bridge the pay gap (with U.S. Soccer becoming the first federation to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money for the country’s women’s and men’s national teams), there is still a long way to go until it’s a more equitable playing field.
Caitlin Clark
After being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark signed a four-year contract with the Indiana Fever that, according to The Athletic, was worth $338,056 and resulted in her receiving a $76,535 salary her rookie year.
Many were shocked by the figures considering the base salary for NBA players is much higher.
Caitlin also has endorsement deals, including one with Nike that The Athletic reported was worth $28 million.
Stephen Curry
Topping ESPN’s list of NBA players’ salaries for the 2025 to 2026 season is Stephen Curry, with the outlet reporting he raked in $59.6 million. However, the Golden State Warriors weren’t going to miss their shot at having the guard play longer.
In August 2024, Steph signed a $62.6 million extension that keeps him on the team through 2027, his agent confirmed to CNBC.
LeBron James
Also dunking all the way to the bank? LeBron James. According to ESPN’s list, the Los Angeles Lakers forward made $52.6 million during the 2025 to 2026 season.
Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is also serving up major moves.
The tennis champ reigned at the top of Forbes‘ list of highest paid female athletes in 2024 with an estimated $34.4 million in total earnings that year ($9.4 million on-court and $25 million off).
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka appears to be acing her brand deals, too.
Forbes reported the Grand Slam title holder from Japan pulled in an estimated $12.9 million in 2024, and that $12 million of that sum came from income earned outside of her match winnings.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles got the gold in more way than one.
According to Forbes‘ list, the Olympic gymnast earned an estimated $11.2 million in 2024 (with $11 million of that total reportedly coming outside of her competition earnings).
Travis Kelce
If you’re trying to fill the blank space on how much Travis Kelce makes playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, here’s the answer: The tight end signed a two-year deal in 2024 worth $34.25 million, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Patrick Mahomes
As for his teammate Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback scored a pretty penny when he signed a 10-year contract with the Chiefs in 2020 worth $450 million, according to his agency Equity Sports.
Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills weren’t going to fumble the opportunity to keep Josh Allen on their team. In March 2025, the quarterback inked a six-year deal that, per Rapoport, is worth $330 million (with $250 million guaranteed).
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson touched down on a new team.
After previously playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants in March 2025 worth $10.5 million, per NFL Network Insiders’ Rapoport, Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. However, the trio reported Russell could receive up to $21 million on the deal through incentives.
Aaron Rodgers
Stepping in as the Steelers’ quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, who previously played for the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers.
And while the QB will be wearing No. 8, his paycheck reflects a much bigger number. The one-year contract he signed in June 2025 is worth $13.65 million with $10 million guaranteed, per NFL Network Insiders Rapoport and Pelissero. However, the Insiders noted Aaron could earn up to $19.5 million through incentives.
