Serena Williams is the 4th on-court earner in tennis history after Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal

Novak Djokovic won his 8^th Australian Open last weekend. The Serbian defeated Dominic Thiem to cement his dominance at the tournament. Djokovic also returned to the world number one ranking after Rafael Nadal failed to reach the semifinals in Australia. Following his latest victory, Djokovic continues to make his case to be the greatest tennis player of all time. The 32-year-old can argue that his position as the highest prize money earner in tennis history should make him the favorite to win the GOAT debate.

Djokovic the highest career prize money earner in history

After winning the Australian Open, Djokovic’s total career earnings jumped to $142,985,630. The Serbian extended his lead over Roger Federer who has earned $129,946,683 over his illustrious career. Nadal is third on the all-time earnings list having taken home $120,583,119. The list represents the dominance the three players have had in the sport over the last two decades.

Top Five Highest On-Court Earners In Tennis History (UPDATED):

1. Novak Djokovic: $142,985,630

2. Roger Federer: $129,232,891

3. Rafael Nadal: $120,563,647

4. Serena Williams: $92,640,883

5. Andy Murray: $61,544,007

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 2, 2020

Serena Williams is fourth on the list

Serena Williams is fourth on the cumulative earnings list. She has earned $92,715,122. However, her total prize money earnings highlight the huge gap in prize money awarded to the men and women in tennis. Serena has won 23 Grand Slam titles, more than Federer’s record of 20 major titles on the men’s side. However, the American tennis star has earned significantly less than her three tennis contemporaries despite playing in the same era. She has been an advocate of equal pay in tennis. Her sister, Venus Williams is the second-highest cumulative earner on the women’s side, having won $41,801,056. Both players have made efforts to bridge the gap in earnings between men and women.

In 2005, Venus successfully petitioned the Wimbledon and French Open organizers to offer the same prize money for both genders. In 2017, the William sisters joined the advisory board of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative. The initiative advocates for better remuneration for women in tennis. Other than Serena and Venus, other women to earn a significant amount of prize money in their careers include Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep, and Maria Sharapova. Wozniacki, who retired after her appearance at the Australian Open last month, earned $35,233,415 during her career. Halep has accumulated $35,852,794 in her career. Sharapova is the closest to the Williams sisters with $38,777,962. On the men’s side, Andy Murray has earned $61,544,007 while Stan Wawrinka has amassed $34,228,252 over the course of his career.

Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2020

Now ranked no.9, Serena played her last match on the 24^th of January when she capitulated to Qiang Wang 6-4 6-7² 7-5 in the 3^rd round of the Australian Open.

At present, this year Serena has a 7-1 win-loss record. The American conquered 1 title in Auckland.

Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2020

Now ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 2^nd of February when he defeated Dominic Thiem 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 in the final of the Australian Open to win his 79^th career title.

Presently, this year the Serbian has a 13-0 win-loss record. The Serbian clinched 2 titles in 2020 in the ATP Cup and at the Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2020

Ranked no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 29^th of January when he lost to Dominic Thiem 7-6³ 7-6⁴ 4-6 7-6⁶ in the quarter of the Australian Open.

Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2020

Ranked no.3, the Swiss played his last match on the 30^th of January when he was overcome by Novak Djokovic 7-6¹ 6-4 6-3 in the semifinal of the Australian Open.

Roger Federer’s most significant result of the current season was getting to the semi-finals at the Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played each other 40 times. The head to head is 24-16 for Nadal.

The last time that they squared off, Roger Federer won 7-6³ 1-6 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in London (Wimbledon) in July 2019.

In the following video you can watch the highlights.