Tennis fans recently reacted to Jannik Sinner receiving a smaller prize purse than Elena Rybakina after winning the 2025 ATP Finals. The Kazakh, after securing her maiden WTA Finals title, earned $164,000 more than Sinner.
Fans React to Jannik Sinner Getting Less Prize Money Than Elena Rybakina After Winning Season-Ending Tournament
Sinner entered the 2025 ATP Finals as the defending champion. He began his campaign with a victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime in his first group stage match. He then triumphed against third seed Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton in the next group stage matches.
In the semifinals, the former World No. 1 defeated Alex de Minaur and emerged victorious against Carlos Alcaraz in the final, winning the tournament and claiming his 24th ATP Tour title overall.
On the other hand, Rybakina began her 2025 WTA Finals campaign by defeating Amanda Anisimova in her first group stage match. She then overcame Iga Świątek and Ekaterina Alexandrova, advancing to the semifinals. In the final four, Rybakina eliminated Jessica Pegula and then defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final, securing her 11th WTA Tour-level title.
By winning the 2025 WTA Finals, Rybakina earned a prize purse of $5,235,000, while Sinner, after his ATP Finals victory, took home $5,071,000, which was $164,000 less than the Kazakh’s total. This difference in prize money drew various reactions from fans on social media.
One fan pointed out that Rybakina, who played in Riyadh for the season-ending tournament, received the full amount of her prize money, as players generally keep all their winnings from events in Saudi Arabia due to the absence of personal income tax on prize money.
Meanwhile, Sinner had to contend with Italy’s tax system, preventing him from bringing home his entire prize money.
“saudi is tax free as well lena takes the whole amount unlike atp in italy sinner doesnt take the whole amount,” a fan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
saudi is tax free as well lena takes the whole amount unlike atp in italy sinner doesnt take the whole amount
— Hamza #63 #12 (@UTDHaMzA21) November 17, 2025
Another fan speculated that Sinner might only keep about half of his winnings, while Rybakina kept all of hers, effectively earning twice what the Italian did.
“Sinner probably only took a little more than half that money home, while Rybakina took it all, so she basically made twice the money Sinner did,” a fan wrote.
Sinner probably only took a little more than half that money home, while Rybakina took it all, so she basically made twice the money Sinner did.
— Von (@vonGoethe00) November 17, 2025
“Thanks to the tireless push of @BillieJeanKing and others. The Elena–Aryna final was every bit as entertaining to watch as the Jannik–Carlos final,” a fan posted.
Thanks to the tireless push of @BillieJeanKing and others. The Elena–Aryna final was every bit as entertaining to watch as the Jannik–Carlos final. https://t.co/fKOf3xdmuY
— Srini Vasan (@bsvtwit) November 17, 2025
“Unbelievable,” a fan wrote.
“As it should be,” a fan posted.
Interestingly, earlier this year, Sinner took part in the 2025 Six Kings Slam, a tennis exhibition tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Riyadh Season. He defeated Alcaraz in the final and took home a prize of $6 million. He must have received the full amount, as Saudi Arabia does not tax prize money for athletes.
After the conclusion of the 2025 ATP Finals, Sinner was scheduled to represent Italy at the Davis Cup Finals, but chose to withdraw from the tournament to rest and prepare for the 2026 season.
