In 2025, racket sports are booming worldwide, each with its own circuits and flagship tournaments. But not all of them reward their champions in the same way. For comparison, we have only selected the following: the most prestigious and best-funded events of each discipline, that is to say the equivalent of the “top of the pyramid”. Thus, we put face to face the Tennis Grand Slams, Padel Majors, Badminton Super 1000, Grand Smash of Table Tennis, World Squash Championship,US Open Pickleball and Beach Tennis World Championships.

It is important to emphasize that only padel, at the highest level, is played necessarily in duplicateThe amounts indicated therefore correspond to the bonus per player, even if the victory is shared between two players. In other sports, it is the singles which remains the reference.

Winners' winnings (per player)

sportsFlagship eventWinner (in €)Original amount
tennisRoland-Garros (Grand Chelem)2 550 000 €2 550 000 €
badmintonBWF Super 1000 (All England / Indonesia Open)€93 380$101 500
Table tennisWTT Grand Smash (Las Vegas)€92 000$100 000
SquashPSA World Championship€50 600$55 000
PadelPremier Padel Major (Paris)€48 000€48 000
PickleballUS Open Pickleball€5 520$6 000
beach tennisITF World Championships (Italy)€5 520$6 000

Reading the table

Tennis Grand Chelem remains unclassified: a Roland-Garros champion pockets 2,55 million, which is nearly 50 times more than a winner of a padel Major. Badminton and table tennis are around €90,000 for their most prestigious tournaments. Squash and padel offer similar prize money, around €50,000 for the winner. Newer disciplines like pickleball or beach tennis remain far behind, with just over €5,500 for a world title or a US Open.

And per turn?

The contrast is even more marked when we look at the early rounds. At Roland Garros, a player eliminated at the outset leaves with €78 000, more than the winner of a padel Major. In padel, a defeat in the first round of the main draw earns €1 935In Super 1000 badminton, a quarter-finalist earns nearly €7,300. In Grand Smash table tennis, a quarter-finalist earns around €12,650. In squash, a World Cup semi-finalist earns around €20,000. In pickleball or beach tennis, even a final victory remains modest.

Racket Sports: Where Will You Earn the Most Money in 2025?

Tennis: the undisputed winner

Tennis is by far the most lucrative racquet sport, followed by badminton and table tennis. Padel, despite its strong growth and presence at Roland Garros, still lags far behind. Squash offers comparable prize money to padel, while pickleball and beach tennis remain exciting but financially marginal disciplines.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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