Open Era dawns 1968–1979
Professionals and amateurs finally competed for the same prize money — even if that money was still modest.
The 1968 introduction of Open tennis let touring professionals play Grand Slams for real prize checks for the first time, and by the early 1970s a handful of men's stars were setting single-season prize-money records that made front-page news in the sports press. Purses were still small by later standards, so a Las Vegas winner-take-all exhibition could pay more than a Grand Slam title, and the sport's biggest stars chased both circuits at once.
Sampras vs. Agassi 1990–2004
One racked up majors, the other racked up sponsor cheques — and Forbes tracked exactly how far apart they were.
Nike, Canon and a wave of consumer brands turned Andre Agassi into one of the highest-earning athletes on the planet even in seasons he was not world No. 1, while Pete Sampras's more reserved image kept his sponsor income well behind his rival's despite a dominant head-to-head Grand Slam record. Forbes' new 'Super 40' list made the gap between on-court success and off-court earning power visible for the first time.
Serena's supremacy 2002–2017
Serena Williams held the title of tennis' highest-paid woman for the better part of two decades.
Serena's endorsement portfolio — Nike, Gatorade, and a growing slate of lifestyle and beauty brands — grew even in years her ranking dipped, because her cultural profile had outgrown the sport itself. She was the world's highest-paid female athlete in most years between the mid-2000s and late 2010s, a run interrupted only when a younger rival's marketability briefly overtook her prize-money lead.
The Big Three and beyond 2011–present
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic each took a turn atop tennis' earnings charts, on very different splits of prize money and sponsorship.
Federer's late-career endorsement portfolio made him briefly the highest-paid athlete in any sport, Nadal's fashion-forward, emotionally raw image kept sponsors loyal well past his physical peak, and Djokovic's record-breaking prize-money hauls finally gave him the tour's largest on-court paycheck even as his off-court deals trailed his two rivals. Streaming-fed global audiences and Middle Eastern exhibition money added a new income stream none of them had access to a decade earlier.