Sam Querrey Says Jannik Sinner And Aryna Sabalenka Should Earn More Than $1.15 Million Prize Money At Indian Wells: "Players Are Underpaid"

Jannik Sinner did everything right on court at Indian Wells. He edged past Daniil Medvedev 7:6, 7:6 in the final, finishing a strong week and reminding everyone he is right back among the top contenders on the ATP Tour. But instead of the win being the only talking point, the spotlight quickly shifted to how much he actually earned for it. That is what has caught fans’ attention. In a sport where packed stadiums, big crowds and global viewership are the norm, the numbers behind the scenes are now being questioned. A recent tennis interview featuring former player Sam Querrey has weighed in on it, and it is sparking a discussion across tennis news and fan circles.

Why the Indian Wells champions' prize money is being questioned

Querrey, speaking on the Nothing Major show, pointed out that both Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka took home $1.15 million for winning Indian Wells. For him, that number does not match the scale of the event.
“[Jannik] Sinner and [Aryna] Sabalenka for winning Indian Wells both got $1.15m,” he said, as quoted by Tennis Head. He then made it clear he believes players deserve far more. “I am convinced they should get $3m. The players are underpaid. I believe they should be getting closer to $3m for winning that. The semifinalist of the men’s tournament this year got less than they did five years ago. Now there is more in some of the early rounds, but still…”
Players who lose early are earning more than before, but the jump is not the same at the very top. Compared to a few years ago, finalists and winners are not seeing the same growth. Querrey also looked at the numbers from a fan perspective. Full stadiums, sold-out sessions, and star power like Sinner’s all add up. “We obviously don’t know what TV rights are like, but that stadium holds 20,000 people,” he said, adding, “If you do 20,000 x $250 a ticket, that is $5 million. Every time Sinner played, it was basically sold out. That’s six times. You can argue that Sinner is responsible for $30m in ticket sales for his six performances on court. Of course, you can argue there are other players and things that factor in, and then we are not getting into TV rights."
He even compared it to golf, where prize money is much higher. “In comparison to golf, Cam Young won the TPC Sawgrass event yesterday, not a major, and got $4.5m. I get it’s on NBC, and the numbers are bigger, but not four times bigger than tennis!"
With the Miami Open coming up next and offering a similar prize pool, this debate is not going away anytime soon. Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will once again lead the field, while Novak Djokovic is set to miss out due to a right shoulder injury.


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