Jannik Sinner’s victory at the 2026 Miami Open has sparked a discourse about the decline in prize money for champions of ATP Masters 1000 events. John Isner raised the issue on the latest episode of the “Nothing Major” podcast, contrasting the Italian’s earnings with the payout he received when he won the same event eight years ago.
Sinner’s path to the coveted title included wins over Alex Michelsen, Frances Tiafoe, and Alexander Zverev before he defeated Jiří Lehečka 6-4, 6-4 in the Miami Open final.
John Isner Calls Out Jannik Sinner’s ‘Absurd’ Prize Money Shortfall
The 2018 Miami Open featured a total prize pool of $7,972,535, while the 2026 edition saw that figure rise significantly to $9,415,725. Sinner earned $1,151,380 of that pool after clinching the title and completing the Sunshine Double. However, his winner’s check was notably lower than the $1,340,860 John Isner pocketed as the Miami champion in 2018.
Isner furiously called out the $189,480 gap between his and Sinner’s winnings, branding the discrepancy as “absurd” and arguing that no other sport operates under the same structure.
“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. “They’ve spread the prize money out. There’s more total prize money, but the winner’s share was like $200,000 less, give or take, in 2026 as it was in 2018. That’s insane. It’s absurd. No sport in the world has that going on right now. No sport in the world. It’s ridiculous, by the way.”
Sinner has since clinched his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title on clay after beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-3 in the Monte-Carlo Masters final. While his earnings in Miami fell short of a past champion, the Italian took home €974,370 ($1,123,711) in Monte Carlo, comfortably surpassing the €935,385 ($1,102,870) earned by the 2018 champion, Rafael Nadal.
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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Prize Money Race Stirs Excitement
John Isner went on to say that he is eager to watch the prize money race between Sinner and Alcaraz as their rivalry continues to grow. Alcaraz currently leads with $64,948,871 in career earnings, while the Italian is not far behind with $62,321,898.
“Be a great overall prize money race between those two as their careers keep going,” he said.
The Spaniard has the chance to extend his lead by triumphing at the Barcelona Open, where he could add €546,400 ($637,990) to his tally after kicking off his campaign with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Otto Virtanen. Subsequently, he will reunite with Jannik Sinner at the Madrid Open, which gets underway on April 22.
