Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s exhibition match in South Korea is driving attention because of the financials involved. The sport’s two biggest stars will compete in the Hyundai Card Super Match on Saturday, 10 January 2026, at Inspire Arena, Incheon, South Korea.
Both Alcaraz and Sinner are expected to draw a significant amount just for playing this exhibition match. They’ll reportedly each receive €2,000,000 (around $2.3 million USD) for just playing. This puts the winnings of a Grand Slam event to such shame.
The Grand Slams are the biggest earning events in tennis. A typical Grand Slam runner-up cheque is only slightly bigger or comparable to what they’re getting for a single exhibition appearance. For context, the 2026 Australian Open winner will pocket $2.8 million in prize money.
Here is the prize money of all Grand Slam winners in the 2025 season:
2025 Australian Open (Melbourne)
Singles Winners: Jannik Sinner (Men) & Madison Keys (Women)
Winner’s Prize Money: A$3,500,000 (~US$2.15 M) each; Runner‑up: A$1,900,000 (~US$1.24M)
2025 French Open (Roland Garros)
Singles Winners: Carlos Alcaraz (Men) & Coco Gauff (Women)
Winner’s Prize Money: €2,550,000 (~US$2.9 M) each; Runner‑up: €1,275,000 (~US$1.45M)
2025 Wimbledon Championships
Singles Winners: Jannik Sinner (Men) & Iga Świątek (Women)
Winner’s Prize Money: £3,000,000 (~US$4.0 M) each; Runner‑up: £1,520,000 (~US$2.0M).
2025 US Open (New York)
Singles Winners: Carlos Alcaraz (Men) & Aryna Sabalenka (Women)
Winner’s Prize Money: $5,000,000 (USD) each; Runner‑up: US$2,500,000.
The average payout for winning a Grand Slam is between $2 to $3 million. Meanwhile, the same for the runner-up is even less than $2 million in all Grand Slams, apart from the US Open. This amount is less than what Sinner and Alcaraz will bag for playing one match in South Korea.
Jannik Sinner & Carlos Alcaraz Changing Financial Aspect In Tennis
Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the biggest draws in the sport. Fans and sponsors are willing to contribute enormously, which is changing the financial dynamics of tennis.
Earlier in the 2025 Six Kings Slam, Alcaraz and Sinner, along with four other top-ranked ATP stars, received $1.5 million as a participation fee. Sinner, who won the event by beating the Spaniard in the finals, received $4.5 million more for winning the tournament.
This is a significant sum and adding both these winnings, it goes to $6 million, which is a million more than what the US Open winners encashed in New York.
Between now and the 2026 Australian Open, Sinner and Alcaraz will also be playing the One Shot Slams on January 14th, as part of the Grand Slam festivities in Melbourne Park. In this tournament, the 32-man draw will participate in matches where the winner will be decided based on who wins the point. Whoever wins the one-point final will bag a sum of A$1 million (around US$660,000).
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