Jannik Sinner could not have wished for a better way to end the 2024 season than winning four of his last five tournaments to seal the year-end No.1 ranking. His latest triumph at the ATP Tour Finals saw him receive a whopping $4,881,100 winner’s cheque.
The financial windfall has apparently allowed Sinner to join a select group of players in reaching a particular milestone. Before this year’s ATP Finals, only two players born in the 2000s had touched the $30 million mark in career prize money. They were former World No.1s, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek.
What also helped Sinner achieve this landmark is because of his whopping $6 million prize money earnings from winning the 6 Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia in October 2024. Prior to him, no player in tennis history made so much money (atleast officially) from one event, even though the cash-rich tournament was not recognised by the ATP.
Nevertheless, Sinner has proudly joined that prestigious group. Interestingly, the Italian, with $33,989,584, has surpassed Swiatek’s tally of $33,141,991 and is now only three million dollars shy of Alcaraz’s count ($36,876,485). Who would have thought this at the start of the year?
30 MILLION DOLLAR MAN!
With his $4,881,100 cheque for winning the ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner has surpassed $30 Million in career prize money.
The 23-year-old is the third tennis player born in the 2000s to reach that milestone, after Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek:
— TENNIS (@Tennis) November 18, 2024
Sinner always had the potential to be the next big thing in the tennis world. The Italian had won 10 titles before 2024, but none of them were Grand Slams. With Roger Federer retired and Rafael Nadal struggling with injuries at the start of the season, many expected Novak Djokovic to keep the flag flying high for the ‘Big 3’ of tennis.
However, the Serb had a dip in form compared to his usual high standards, which left many wondering who would step up. Enter Sinner and Alcaraz. Between this hard-hitting duo, the four Grand Slams of the year were evenly split. A new rivalry blossomed in the tennis circuit, dividing fans in their support for these two players.
They both captivated supporters by playing mesmerizing tennis battles. Alcaraz won all three of their head-to-head matches this year. It’s important to note that they all went down to the wire, and any or all of these results could have easily gone the other way.
But the joy did not last long for Alcaraz. While his form dipped in the second half of the season, Sinner continued to improve as the year went on.
“There is still a gap of improvement”: Jannik Sinner
The Italian is clearly not done yet and doesn’t seem like he’s going to rest on his laurels. After cruising to the ATP Finals title, Sinner believes there are still areas of his game that he can improve.
“I actually believe there is still a gap of improvement. Today I served very, very good at times, which was not the case throughout the whole tournament. There are still certain shots and points that I can do better, but [these] are small details.
“The higher you play level-wise, the more details make the difference. I’m always trying to improve as a player and trying to understand what I can do better,” Sinner said after beating Taylor Fritz in the final.
Despite winning everything possible in his dream season, Sinner apparently entered the 2024 season without any ambitious targets.
“My goal was to understand what I can achieve this year. There was no specific goal of winning a Grand Slam or being No. 1 or whatever. It’s going to be the same next year: Whatever we can catch, we take, and the rest we learn.”
Sinner has continued to flourish on the court, winning eight titles, including two Grand Slams, amidst all the doping controversies surrounding him. His campaign isn’t over yet, as he will represent defending champions Italy in the Davis Cup Finals later this week.
And come 2025, Sinner is expected to carry his top form into another season, assuming that he is not slapped with a ban from the CAS as the WADA has contested the ITIA’s verdict over the Italian being innocent for doping.
