Tennis has done well in the last decade, and so has inflation. Those two forces, combined, leave us on the cusp of a prize money milestone in 2016. With Novak Djokovic gobbling up titles like never before and Roger Federer back in regal form as World No. 2, the race to $100 million looks to be a lot more exciting than the race to No. 1 (locked up by Djokovic a while back for 2015). Here’s how the standings look as of today:
Djokovic will hit another ATP milestone first. With 2015 earnings of $14,462,739, he's just over $108k shy of the ATP's all-time single season prize money record, which is currently held by Rafael Nadal ($14,570,935). If both Federer and Djokovic can manage to duplicate their 2015 results next year, the ATP will be able to boast two $100K prize money makers. But which one will get there first? Federer is just about $5 million away, and it seems like he’s a shoe-in to be the first, but with Djokovic gobbling up titles at an unprecedented level, would you really be surprised if the Serb made it first?
Actually, we would. We’re picking Federer to get it done. How about you?