ATP Unveils $346M Record Player Payout, Driven By Its OneVision Strategy
Friday, October 4, 2024 at 03:47PM By Barry Janoff
October 4, 2024: In June 2022, the ATP Tour launched OneVision, calling it an “ambitious plan introducing a groundbreaking set of reforms across the ATP Tour, reducing fragmentation, aligning interests between players and tournaments, and repositioning tennis within the increasingly competitive entertainment landscape.”
Today, the ATP Tour said that it has confirmed record player compensation for the 2023 season, following the completion of the ATP Masters 1000 profit-sharing calculation, “a key element of its OneVision strategic plan.”
A total of $241.6 million was distributed to players across the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour through on-site prize money, Performance Bonus Pools and Player Retirement Plan contributions.
An additional $104.5 million in Grand Slam men’s prize money brought the total men’s compensation to a record $346.2 million for the year, according to the ATP Tour.
ATP-associated events accounted for 70% of overall men’s player compensation, with 30% coming from the Grand Slams.
"Through OneVision, our goal is clear: to align the interests of players and tournaments, strengthen premium events, enhance the fan experience, and drive long-term growth for the entire sport,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said via the organization.
“We are unlocking new investment and laying the foundation for a true partnership between players and tournaments, sharing equally in tennis' success.”
The ATP Tour said on-site prize money at its top-tier tournaments in 2023 "rose to $70.4 million, up from $55.6 million in 2022, driven by the expansion to 96-player draws at Madrid, Rome and Shanghai (which was not held in 2022 due to the pandemic)."
OneVision has also been the catalyst for what was called “unprecedented investments” in tournament infrastructure across the Masters 1000 category, highlighted by multi-million-dollar renovation projects in Cincinnati, Madrid, Rome, and Shanghai.
Under the OneVision plan, five top-tier tournaments grew or will grow from eight-day (56 Draw) to 12-day (96 Draw) events over the coming seasons, in line with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open presented by Itau.
They include the Mutua Madrid Open (in 2023), Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome, in 2023), Rolex Shanghai Masters (in 2023), National Bank Open presented by Rogers (Canada, in 2025) and Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati, in 2025)
The financial result is not just impacting players currently on the ATP Tour.
The ATP Player Retirement Plan distributed approximately $19 million to 165 eligible players in 2023, following a record year in 2022 ($28 million) “that was driven in part by the transfer sales of the Madrid and Cincinnati tournaments.”
A $1.3 million Bonus Pool was introduced for the ATP 500 category “further enhancing player earnings.”
The ATP 500 tournaments will also undergo full financial audits in 2024 with a view to moving to a profit-sharing formula in future years.
On the ATP Challenger Tour, prize money rose 75%, reaching $21.2 million in 2023, alongside a 170% increase in the number of Challenger 100 and 125 events on offer to players.
The ATP Tour said marketing partners and sponsors “have bought into our OneVision strategic plan,” Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO said, via the organization.
This past February, calling it “a catalyst for growth of the global tennis landscape,” the ATP Tour unveiled a multi-year strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, “marking a significant shared commitment to enhancing global tennis for players, fans, tournament organizers and stakeholders at all levels of the sport.”
As part of the five-year alliance, PIF said it would “actively contribute to ATP's OneVision Strategic Plan,” which focuses on driving unity, enhancing fan experiences and leveraging scalable growth opportunities across the sport.
In August, the ATP Tour said it has experienced “record sponsorship revenues for the 2024 season,” including nine new global partners and multiple partnership renewals.
The ATP Tour said its unprecedented commercial success “reflects its focus on strategic growth under OneVision.”
The nine new global partners and multiple renewals represent a 50% year-on-year increase in sponsorship revenue and 89% increase projected by 2026 (vs. 2023), according to the ATP Tour.
Photo: DunlopNew global partners signed since 2023 include Platinum Partners Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Lexus, Yokohama as the ATP Tour’s first official tire partner, Haier, Waterdrop, LONGi Solar, Sense Arena, OFX and Fitline.
During this same period the ATP Tour renewed longtime partnerships with Infosys, Lacoste and Dunlop, along with Asti Docg.
They join global brands including the ATP Tour’s Premier Partner Emirates Airline, along with Nitto, Rolex, Nilox and Sense Arena.
The ATP Masters 1000 events, in particular, saw substantial increases under OneVision reforms.
In total, ATP said it has doubled its annual sponsorship distributions to tournaments since 2021.
“They have bought into our OneVision strategic plan,” Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO said via the organization.
“This has laid the foundation for growth through more premium events, rights aggregation, and a game-changing profit-sharing agreement creating a true partnership between players and tournaments.”
The ATP Tour said 2024 player compensation levels will be released in 2025, following a “comprehensive financial audit of this year’s nine ATP Masters 1000 events, which will determine the profit-sharing calculation for 2024.”
“This is just the beginning, and we continue to work with other entities in tennis on a shared vision for the sport's future,” said Gaudenzi.
“We remain committed to advocating for unified governance, fair player representation, and a centralized commercial strategy — all with the aim of providing a better experience for fans."
ATP Tour: ‘Record Sponsorships, Revenue Growth’ In ’24
ATP Tour, PIF Five-Year Alliance To Grow Tennis
Back to Home Page