Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are scheduled to face each other at South Korea’s Hyundai Card Super Match on January 10 to showcase their intense rivalry. Notably, this event is set for just one week before the 2026 Australian Open kicks off. The close gap between these two events has raised eyebrows and sparked considerable speculation among tennis fans.
A few tennis analysts couldn’t help but discuss the financial arrangements surrounding the event that has driven the top two players to an exhibition court rather than preparing for the year’s first major.
How Much Money Will Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Make From the Exhibition Event?
The Hyundai Card Super Match marks another exhibition meeting between the world’s top two-ranked players on the ATP tour. The event is set to take place at the INSPIRE ARENA in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday, January 10. Alcaraz is the reigning World No. 1, while the second-ranked Sinner will prove a formidable opponent in an electrifying showdown for the fans in South Korea and worldwide.
The hosts of Nothing Major Podcast, former professional tennis players Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, John Isner, and Jack Sock, engaged in a conversation about the prize money that both players will be getting. Querrey sparked the debate with a simple question:
“We got Alcaraz and Sinner in an exo together in South Korea. We know Alcaraz has played a bunch of exos over the offseason; Sinner has not. I want to go around, start with Jack. What do we think each one’s getting paid for the super exo?”
What seemed like a normal question became a debatable one, once Querrey modified it by adding: “Let me start with this. Do you think they’re getting paid the same? What’s the number, Jack? How much are they each getting to go to South Korea on January 10th, about a week or so before the Australian Open starts to play in the Super Exo?”
Sock replied with a simple answer, stating, “1.5 each.” Querrey then put forward his own estimation, which was “2.5 million each.” He then asked the same question to Johnson, who took a shot at the split between Alcaraz and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. He said, “I’d say enough to pay Juan Carlos Ferrero’s salary for the year,” referencing the rumour that financial decisions led to the split between these two.
Isner added another humorous touch by saying, “I’ll split the difference. I’d say 1.5 and three economy class tickets, first team.”
The exact amount remains confidential as the appearance fee paid by a tournament stay private between the participants and the organisers.
The decision by both Alcaraz and Sinner to participate in an exhibition match one week before the Australian Open has drawn significant attention. Alcaraz currently ranks as World No. 1 while Sinner holds the second position and arrives in Melbourne as the defending champion after capturing back-to-back titles.
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Most top-ranked competitors prioritize rest and physical recovery during the critical week leading up to the first major championship of the season. Novak Djokovic stands as the biggest example of this strategy, having withdrawn from the Adelaide International despite announcing his participation just last month. Alcaraz, on the other hand, has a contrasting philosophy and remains as active as possible in between on Tour matches.
During the 2025 Australian Open, the third-seeded Spaniard reached the quarterfinals but fell short to Djokovic in a three-hour marathon, thus falling short of completing his Career Grand Slam. Sinner kicked off his 2025 campaign by defending his title against Alexander Zverev in a straight-sets win and will be looking towards a third consecutive Australian Open title.