Caitlin Thompson, founder of Racquet magazine, has claimed that Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton received significant payouts for their participation in the Garden Cup, an off-season exhibition event held at Madison Square Garden. Speaking on the Rennae Stubbs Podcast, Thompson revealed Alcaraz was guaranteed between $1 million and $2 million, while Shelton earned between $200,000 and $500,000.
Thompson emphasized that her information was verified through multiple sources, stating, “I heard as much as $2 million [for Alcaraz].” She also noted payouts for other players like Jessica Pegula and Emma Raducanu, who reportedly earned $100,000 each.
This revelation comes amid criticism from ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi, who questioned the decision of players like Alcaraz to play exhibition events despite voicing concerns about tennis’s demanding schedule. Alcaraz, a vocal critic of the packed calendar, previously expressed his frustrations, saying, “The calendar is so tight… probably they are going to kill us in some way.”
The payouts shed light on the financial incentives driving players to participate in non-tour events, sparking debates about balancing professional commitments and player welfare.
Ben Shelton in 2024
Currently the world no.21, Ben played his last match on the 21st of November when he was overcome by world no.77 Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1 4-6 7-6(14) in the Rubber 1 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Presently, during this year Shelton has a 42-26 record. This year, the American won 1 title in Houston. Shelton reached the final in Basel.
He is also scheduled to play in Auckland (ASB Classic) on the 6th of January and () on the 13th of January.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2024
At the moment ranked no.3, the Spaniard played his last match on the 19th of November when he defeated world no.40 Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(0) 6-3
in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).This season the Spaniard has managed to achieve a composed 54-13 match record. Carlos clinched 4 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open, Wimbledon and Beijing. The Spaniard was the finalist in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz will compete against the world no.363 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . They have never played each other up to now in top competitions.
The Spaniard clinched 4 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open, Wimbledon and Beijing. Alcaraz was the runner-up in Paris (Olympics).
Alcaraz won 17 titles in his career: 5 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz clashed against each other just twice. Their current record is 2-0 for Alcaraz. Before, the last time they competed against each other, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-4 6-4 in the round robin in Berlin (Laver Cup) on the 21st of September 2024.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz |
| Embed from Getty Images |