Carlos Alcaraz has not hit a competitive ball since April.
He still leads tennis’s earnings table by nearly $4m over the man who just defended Wimbledon.
Sportico’s ranking of the highest-paid tennis players for the 12 months to 30 June 2026 puts Alcaraz first with $62.9m in total income.
Of that, $44m came from endorsements, appearance fees and licensing. Only $18.9m came from prize money.
Jannik Sinner, who defended his Wimbledon title on 12 July with a four-set win over Alexander Zverev, ranks second at $59m.
$44m without lifting a racket
Alcaraz has been sidelined since 14 April, when he suffered inflammation in a tendon in his right wrist during a first-round win over Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open.
He withdrew from Roland Garros, then Wimbledon, then the Canadian Open in Montreal.
None of that has cost him a sponsor. His portfolio spans Nike, on an eight-figure per-annum deal described by Sportico as his most lucrative, plus Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Babolat, Bridgestone, BMW Group and Ant International.
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Sportico counts more than ten endorsement partners in total.
The market has a reason to hold.
Alcaraz’s 87.5% winning percentage in Grand Slam finals is the best of any player in the past 60 years with at least four wins, per Sportico.
Sinner’s summer fills the vacuum
The top ten players collectively earned $344m over the ranking period, up 26.5% on the previous year, as the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry has continued to widen tennis’s commercial ceiling.
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Sinner has taken every headline the Spaniard has not been on court to contest.
His Wimbledon final against Zverev finished 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4, a fifth Grand Slam and a second consecutive All England Club title. It was still $3.9m short on the year.
Cincinnati as the comeback test
Alcaraz is entered at the Cincinnati Open, which runs 13 to 23 August, and is expected to use it as his return before defending his US Open title in New York from 30 August.
His team has held off on confirming the date until the wrist responds to high-intensity training without pain.
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The US Open main draw begins 30 August at Flushing Meadows, giving Alcaraz roughly a fortnight in Cincinnati to prove the wrist holds under match load.
