Novak Djokovic has endured a difficult year on and off the court and it has been revealed that he has been dethroned as the highest-earning player in the sport.

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Novak Djokovic has been overtaken as tennis’ top earner (Image: (Image: Getty))

Carlos Alcaraz has surpassed Novak Djokovic in the tennis wealth rankings. Despite a challenging year, Djokovic managed to secure his first Olympic gold medal.

However, his absence from the Grand Slam winners’ circle this year has allowed Alcaraz to overtake him. The young Spaniard became the highest-earning tennis player this year, raking in a whopping $42.3m.

Last year, Djokovic led the financial leaderboard, earning $5.1m more than Alcaraz. While attention is often given to those with the largest bank balances, it may come as a surprise that women’s tennis sensation Coco Gauff secured the No.3 spot on the list, surpassing Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner.

Forbes reports that Alcaraz dominated this year, amassing an impressive $42.3million. His on-court earnings amounted to a remarkable $10.3m, while his off-court earnings contributed an additional $32m to his balance – quite the achievement for a 21-year-old.

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Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as tennis’ next superstar (Image: Getty)

Meanwhile, Djokovic found himself playing second fiddle to this year’s French Open and Wimbledon champion, earning $37.2m. Although Djokovic’s on-court earnings of $12.2m slightly exceeded those of Alcaraz, his off-court earnings were significantly lower at $25, leaving him trailing his new rival

Despite Alcaraz’s superior campaign to the Serbian, these figures may not come as a surprise to many. However, it may shock tennis enthusiasts to learn that Gauff was the sport’s third-highest earner.

The American netted an impressive $27.1m this year. This sum includes $7.1m from on-court winnings and an additional $20m from off-court earnings.

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Reigning U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff also earned huge money (Image: Getty)

Gauff has risen as one of the most skilled and marketable stars in tennis. Her stock began to climb in 2023 when she made her mark by clinching the US Open title.

She maintains 11 long-term partnerships with brands such as hair care company Carol’s Daughter, Naked Brand Juices, Fanatics, and fashion collection companies like American Eagle. Her popularity also led her to serve as the USA’s flag-bearer alongside LeBron James.

Currently, Gauff ranks as the World No. 3 in singles and the World No.15 in doubles. Given her recent performances and the financial power she’s starting to amass off the court, her ranking is expected to rise.

Her earnings this year surpassed rivals Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and world No 1 Iga Swiatek, who all made the top-10 list, but also outpaced male players Nadal, Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Casper Ruud.

Following the top three, Swiatek ranked fourth with earnings of $26.7M (£20m), Sinner was fifth with $26.6M (£20m), Nadal came in sixth with a cool $23.3M (£17.6m), Medvedev was seventh with $20.3M (£15.3m), Osaka eighth with $14.6M (£11m), Ruud ninth with $13.9M (£10.5m) and Sabalenka rounded out the top ten with $13.7M (£10.4m).