Novak Djokovic will end the 2023 season, being not just at the top of the world rankings in the men’s singles category but also on ATP’s prize money list. Interestingly, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has achieved this feat despite no significant bonuses at all coming to him. And this is mainly because of him picking and choosing tournaments to play in.
ATP has a scheme called OneVision which in essence, is a profit-sharing plan meant to hand out bonuses to players depending on their performances in certain tournaments clubbed together. So, $33.5 million is set to be divided between players based on their performances in ATP 1000 and ATP 500 events in 2022 and 2023. But additionally, this plan has extremely strict eligibility criterias, which Djokovic could not qualify under.
Apart from all the 4 Grand Slams, Novak Djokovic only turned up for 4 ATP Masters 1000s events, the ATP Finals 2023, and 3 other ATP events. The only other tournament he fully committed to, was the Davis Cup. But as Grand Slams continue to be the highest-paying events in totality, Djokovic’s run of winning 3 of those while making the final of the Wimbledon, contributed significantly in him winning an incredible sum of $15,936,098 as prize money in 2023. It also helped the World No.1 that he won the ATP Finals 2023, which individually considered, is the highest-paying event on the ATP Tour.
After some delay ATP did process bonus pool $$$ on its website and we now have the final 2023 prize money standings for ATP players.
For the first time ever, 4 players passed $10M mark in a season; previously there were four seasons (2013,16,17,19) with 2 players earning $10M+. pic.twitter.com/DZTt8FMJ2S— Oleg S. (@AnnaK_4ever) December 18, 2023
The ATP has a points system based on which the bonuses will be awarded soon. World No.3 Daniil Medvedev ended up with the best ranking points across all ATP 500 events in 2023. So he is assured of a $600,000 payday out of the $1.3 million pool for this bonus level (ATP Website). Overall, Medvedev’s bonuses came up to an impressive $2.3 million. Possibly, had Djokovic participated more, he could have received a huge share. Since he missed out on more than 3 ATP 1000 events, he faced a 100% reduction.
Carlos Alcaraz bagged a total of $4.44 million in add-ons, being helped by his Wimbledon title win and 2 ATP 1000 Masters titles in the first half of the season. This made him get closer to Novak Djokovic’s tally in reality. However, the World No.1 was cleverer and perhaps could afford to,prioritize his fitness over playing in more number of tournaments, making him fresher, hungrier and ready to win those that matter the most.
Novak Djokovic 2023 prize money breakdown
Novak Djokovic skipped five ATP 1000 tournaments in 2023 and played no ATP 250 or 500 event post-April. After the aforementioned Srpska Open, he featured only in the Rome Masters, Cincinnati Masters, and the Paris Masters in addition to the Grand Slams and the ATP Finals. He played one Davis Cup fixture in the group stage in September. After winning the year-end championships and wrapping up the ATP season, he took to the court for two Davis Cup Final 8 clashes.
Regardless, he concluded the season with $15,936,098 in prize money, more than anyone else, even after their bonuses. His biggest paycheck came at the ATP Finals, where he took home a jaw-dropping $4,411,500 for his record seventh title. He received $3 million for his US Open triumph, in addition to $1 million for his Cincinnati Open triumph. The Serb made nearly another $4 million combined for his Wimbledon runner-up finish and French Open title. His Australian Open victory made him $1,998,278 richer.
Djokovic has already sounded his plans to go for the Golden Slam next year. While the Olympic gold medal does not carry any prize money, winning all four Grand Slams will surely bring in the big bucks. He will likely still be just as selective about his participation, but with form like this, there’s no stopping Djokovic from bagging trophies and becoming the highest prize money earner again.
