Novak Djokovic earned a staggering amount of prize money during the 2023 ATP Tour campaign, but it doesn’t come close to his best-ever season in 2015, which is also the all-time best in tennis.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner topped the 2023 prize-money stakes as he won $15,952,044 this year – well clear of Carlos Alcaraz in second place with the Spaniard earning $10,753,431.

Djokovic’s $15m tally is comfortably good enough to make it into the top 10 best individual prize money seasons and it is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020 that a player managed to hit the top 10.

Ranking the best-ever individual prize-money seasons in tennis
10. $13,372,355 – Novak Djokovic (2019)
Big money was still on offer in the final full season before Covid-19 and Djokovic didn’t even finish at No 1 in terms of prize money for the year yet his total still managed to make the top 10.

Djokovic’s $13,372,355 was “only” good enough for second place and his biggest paydays came from winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon as well as two ATP Masters 1000 titles.

9. $14,138,824 – Novak Djokovic (2016)
Two Grand Slams, four ATP Masters 1000 titles and runners-up cheques at the ATP Finals and US Open. Those were the events where Djokovic earned big cash in 2016.

And like in 2019, Djokovic didn’t finish the season as the top prize-money earner or the world No 1 (more below).

8. $14,250,527 – Novak Djokovic (2014)
Did you know Djokovic won $1,455,000 after winning the final of the ATP Finals without lifting a racket? The Serbian was crowned champion after Roger Federer withdrew due to injury. He won a total of $2,075,000 at the tournament.

Away from the ATP Finals, Djokovic also won Wimbledon, the Sunshine Double as well as the Italian Open and Paris Masters.

7. $14,570,935 – Rafael Nadal (2013)
Rafael Nadal’s third-best season in terms of prize money saw him reach 14 finals and lift 10 titles. His tally of $14,570,935 also included $2,500,000 from the ATP “bonus pool”.

The Spaniard won the French Open and US Open, but missed the Australian Open and lost in the first round at Wimbledon. He also won five ATP Masters 1000 titles and finished runner-up at the AT Finals.

6. $15,864,000 – Rafael Nadal (2017)
Rafael Nadal broke the $15m prize-money barrier for the first time in his career during another all-conquering season in 2017 as he finished the year with six titles to his name.

The Spaniard once again won the French Open and US Open as well as the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open while he finished runner-up at the Australian Open.

5. $15,952,044 – Novak Djokovic (2023)
The newest entry to the top 10 comes on the back of Novak Djokovic winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and ATP Finals. He collected $4,411,000 for winning the season-ending tournament in Turin.

Djokovic’s earnings in 2023 also saw him pass the $180,643,353 mark for career-prize money earnings.

Will he hit the $200m mark in 2024?

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic leads prize money list for 2023 as 8 players break through $4million barrier
4. $15,967,184 – Novak Djokovic (2018)
After a disappointing 2017 campaign where he struggled with injury and form, Novak Djokovic returned with a bang the following year as he finished world No 1 for the fifth time in his career.

The Serbian won Wimbledon, the US Open, the Cincinnati Masters and the Shanghai Masters while he was also runner-up at the ATP Finals and Paris Masters.

3. $16,349,586 – Rafael Nadal (2019)
Prize-money earnings were huge before Covid-19 with both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic featuring in this list from the 2019 campaign.

Nadal’s $16,349,586 will likely remain his biggest-ever earnings for a season as he is heading to retirement.

The Spaniard won titles at Roland Garros, the US Open, Italian Open and Canadian Open while he was also a runner-up at the Australian Open.

2. $16,349,701 – Andy Murray (2016)
Andy Murray enjoyed a dream 2016 campaign as he finished the season as the year-end No 1 for the only time in his career.

The Brit’s biggest earnings came from Wimbledon (roughly $2,3m) and the ATP Finals ($2,391,000) while he also won the Italian Open, Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters.

Murray also boosted his bank balance by finishing runner-up at the Australian Open and French Open.

1. $21,146,145 – Novak Djokovic (2015)
The 2015 season is considered Novak Djokovic’s best-ever season in tennis as he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open and ATP Finals while he was also runner-up at Roland Garros.

The tennis legend won an incredible 11 titles – including six ATP Masters 1000 titles – so unsurprisingly he was racking up the money as he became the first and only player to date to pass the $20m mark for an individual season.