Carlos Alcaraz misses out on $2.4m prize money as ATP fines the world No 1 for this reason

World number one Carlos Alcaraz will be missing out on $2.4 million in prize money due to an ATP rule that penalises players heavily for missing their tournaments.

Alcaraz had another stunning season as he concluded his 2025 with eight trophies which include French Open and US Open triumphs. He led the tour with a total of 71 match victories and is also the top-ranked player in ATP rankings.

The 22-year-old also topped ATP’s Bonus Pool with 4,420 points for which he should have been awarded with $4.8 million in prize money. However, he will be getting only half of that amount.

Why Alcaraz will lose $2.4 million?

30 players who earn the most points in the ATP Masters 1000 events and the Nitto ATP Finals throughout the calendar year are awarded from a pool of prize money. For 2025, this Bonus Pool has a total of $21 million in it.

However, apart from earning points, ATP also emphasises on consistent appearances in its biggest tournaments. ATP reduces a player’s reward by one-fourth for every Masters 1000 tournament missed due to withdrawal or injury, up to a maximum of three. If a player misses four such tournaments, they are not eligible for any money from the Bonus Pool.

More from Tennis

Novak Djokovic hailed by legendary tennis coach for turning down lucrative offers others wouldn’t refuse: ‘He is the least fake person Sumit Nagal's Australian Open hopes dashed after Indian No 1 loses wild-card playoff event

Alcaraz would have taken home $4.8 million for earning the most points but since he missed two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.

Alcaraz gave a miss to the Canada Open in the summer and to the Shanghai Open in the Autumn which cut his prize money in half as per ATP rules.

While Alcaraz will still get a decent amount, the second-ranked ATP player Jannik Sinner will not be able to take anything from the Bonus Pool as he missed four Masters 1000 tournaments. Sinner did not play in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Canada, making him ineligible to get that money even though he finished second in the Bonus Pool with 3,850 points.