Of course, winning the Miami Open is one of tennis’ great honors, and Jannik Sinner finally did receive it last month, but for former American star John Isner, the winner’s paycheck has become a source of shame for the sport.
Sinner was absolutely dominant in his campaign at the Miami Open. He didn’t lose a set in the six matches he played and went on to capture his second Masters 1000 title of the year by defeating Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 in the final. The Italian was awarded a cash prize of $1,151,380 for winning the tournament. Though the Miami Open is known for paying players significantly well, for the 2018 Miami Open winner, the prize money has dipped over the years.
“At the Masters 1000 events, the winner’s check has gone down. When I won Miami in 2018, I won more money for winning the title than Sinner did this year in 2026.” Isner said in the latest episode of Nothing Major Show. “They have spread the prize money out, and there is more total prize money.
“But the winner’s share was $200,000 less, give or take, in 2026 than it was in 2018. That’s insane. It’s absurd. No sport in the world has that going on right now. It’s ridiculous.”
He argued that while the tournament has increased its total prize pool significantly, the winners’ share has gone down. Though this claim may seem false at first, the numbers do support Isner’s point. He had received a hefty amount of $1,340,860 as prize money for his win in Miami, which is higher than what Sinner received for winning the competition this year.
Isner: “Cuando gané en Miami en 2018, gané más dinero que Sinner este año”https://t.co/xYVqhFUvik
— Punto de Break (@PuntoDBreak) April 18, 2026
Even at the BNP Paribas Open, the 24-year-old received $1,151,380 for his championship success, which is significantly less than the 2018 prize money of $1,340,860.
Moreover, a similar pattern has been observed in other tournaments like the Indian Wells Open, Madrid Open, Shanghai Masters, and Paris Masters. Though the total prize pool keeps on increasing year by year, the winners’ share is surprisingly being lowered. Multiple former players have called out the tournament over the matter.
Similarly, the players had even sent two letters to the four Grand Slams last year, requesting an increase in the cash prize.
Tennis players want all Grand Slams to increase the prize money
It was in April 2025 that a collection of the top 10 highest-ranked players from both the ATP and WTA had signed the letter, asking the organizers of the four Grand Slams for a better share of revenues. They had even asked for a meeting to be scheduled as well.
However, after their pleas fell on deaf ears, they decided to send another letter to the Grand Slams in September. The letter was signed by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, among others.
“We want more money; they, maybe, don’t want to give us as much money when we talk about the prize money,” Djokovic had said before the 2025 Australian Open.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi had addressed the players’ demands and had even admitted that there are several flaws in the current tennis system.
It appears that the players’ pleas didn’t go unnoticed as the Australian Open had announced a prize pool of AUD $111.5 million ($74.9 million), which was up nearly 16% in 2025. This was the largest jump in the history of the coveted tournament.
The French Open followed suit and also announced a significant increase to its prize pool for the upcoming edition. There will be a jump of 9.5% from last year’s purse, taking the total prize pool to €61.7 million ($72.69 million). There is a sharp increase of €5.4 million compared to last year’s prize pool.
It remains to be seen whether players will receive any increase at Wimbledon and the US Open this year.
