Iga Swiatek's meteoric rise in the WTA has helped the Polish player to top the WTA rankings and the pinnacle of the prize money list ahead of ATP great Rafael Nadal.
Swiatek has been dominant in women's tennis so far during the 2022 campaign, winning three WTA 1000 titles and a 500-level victory in Stuttgart. Moreover, the current world number extended her unbeaten run to 23 consecutive matches with a final win over Aryna Sabalenka at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
The 21-year-old's commanding performances in the WTA have seen her eclipse some of the best men's players for prize money earned in 2022. Swiatek earned US$3,658,233 during the first four months of the campaign compared to Nadal's US$3,120,355 and Carlos Alcaraz's US$2,611,593.
Despite his lower standing in the top earners' list, Nadal impressed early in 2022 with an Australian Open title and victories in Melbourne and Acapulco. Meanwhile, Nadal's compatriot Alcaraz is closing in after winning the 2022 Miami Open and taking titles at the Barcelona Open and the Rio Open.
However, there is still plenty of tennis to come in 2022, which could see many more fluctuations in this season's top earner's list. But Swiatek, a budding clay-court specialist who even grew up idolizing Nadal, looks in good shape to potentially increase her earnings as she prepares for the upcoming Italian Open and Roland Garros, which she won in 2020.
Several other WTA and ATP players complete the 2022 top earners list after some standout performances early in the season. Sitting just behind Alcaraz in fourth place is Stefanos Tsitsipas, who successfully defended his 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters title with another victory in the French principality this year.
In fifth place is former player and 2022 Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty, who caused shockwaves in the sports community with her sudden retirement from the game in March.
Despite hanging up her racket prematurely, Barty ended on a high with her third Grand Slam title and a prior win at the Adelaide International.
Ultimately, Barty's retirement has given the chasing pack of ATP players a chance to overtake the Australian. Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, and Felix Auger-Aliassime complete the Top 10 earners in 2022 so far.
Top 10 earners in 2022:
| Rank | Player | Prize Money Earned |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iga Swiatek | US$3,658,233 |
| 2 | Rafael Nadal | US$3,120,355 |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz | US$2,611,593 |
| 4 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | US$2,324,992 |
| 5 | Ashleigh Barty | US$2,289,320 |
| 6 | Taylor Fritz | US$2,068,406 |
| 7 | Daniil Medvedev | US$1,973,455 |
| 8 | Hubert Hurkacz | US$1,442,014 |
| 9 | Andrey Rublev | US$1,419,369 |
| 10 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | US$1,407,079 |
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