Carlos Alcaraz instantly loses over £1million despite winning record US Open prize money
Carlos Alcaraz won a record amount at the US Open after beating Jannik Sinner, but he'll only take home just over half of his earnings.
US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz will only take around half of his prize money back to Spain after beating Jannik Sinner to the biggest purse in tennis history. The 22-year-old overcame Sinner for the fourth time in five meetings so far in 2025 to collect the top $5million (£3.7m) reward.
The prize for winning this year's US Open is the most that any major has offered to date. That's after the United States Tennis Association (USTA) increased the singles champions' payout to £3.7m each, a 38.89% rise from the number on offer last year. Aryna Sabalenka became the first to claim that nine-figure sum on Saturday after she defeated Amanda Anisimova in the women's decider. And Alcaraz followed her lead 24 hours later when he bested Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a final where President Donald Trump was booed upon arrival.
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But a sizeable chunk of the Spaniard's winnings will go straight back to the US authorities. That's because athletes are subject to tax laws in the local jurisdictions where they earn their keep.
Alcaraz would fall into the highest bracket of federal income tax in the United States. Given his earnings are way above the upper threshold of $609,351, he's subject to a federal income tax rate of 37%.
That equates to £1.37m in tax before he has even left the country, leaving him with £2.33m in earnings. However, the damage could be even worse if he is expected to pay state tax in New York, which has one of the highest personal tax rates in the US.
The state income tax for earnings between $1.08m and $5m in New York is 9.65%. The tiered system means this rate would only apply to earnings in that range, but it potentially leaves Alcaraz with closer to £2m as his take-home figure.
That's without factoring in the usual expenses like paying his manager, coaches, accommodation and travel. The only silver lining in the matter is a double taxation treaty between Spain and the United States will prevent the youngster being penalised again in his homeland.
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Alcaraz has won 10 of his 15 meetings with Sinner to date and has developed a dominant streak in their rivalry of late. In fact, the Italian has managed to win just one of their last eight encounters, beating his nemesis to the Wimbledon title earlier this summer.
The Spanish superstar has raked in a little more than £11.5m in on-court earnings so far in 2025. He got his hands on a second straight French Open crown back in June, matching 2024 as his most prolific campaign to date after picking up a second Slam title this calendar year.
In the seven years since turning professional back in 2018, Alcaraz has accumulated career winnings of approximately £40m in ATP competitions. And he's on track to rival Novak Djokovic as the all-time money list leader, though he still has a way to go to match the Serb's £140m earnings to date.
Alcaraz's last chance to earn a comparable prize fund will come at the ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner won roughly £1.7m for winning the end-of-year singles title last year, with the tournament set to return in mid-November.