ATP increases Challenger Tour prizes

Good news for those who come behind. The ATP announced that it will award a global prize pool of $28.5 million on the Challenger circuit in 2025. A record amount that has been increasing since 2022.

To boost player earnings on the Challenger circuit, the ATP Tour on Wednesday announced a record prize pool for the second tier of men’s world tennis.

In 2025, 28.5 million euros (about 27.1 million euros) will be invested in the circuit of players usually between the Top 100 and the Top 250. This is 6.2 million more than in 2024, and a figure that has increased by 135% since 2022.

“Since 2022, we have invested in important reforms on the Challenger Tour,” ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement. “The results are clear: record prize pools that increase year after year and, above all, more players in the top 250 benefiting from better financial compensation at this level,” he noted.

For the ATP, these results are the result of the “OneVision” strategic plan, aimed at increasing the number of players who can make a decent living from tennis.

According to Gaudenzi, “creating a sustainable path for players to the ATP Tour is vital for the future of our sport.” Essential for the latter, the Challenger circuit corresponds to a period in which players are going through financial difficulties with a view to continuing their careers. “This is due to the lack of stable sponsorship and the high costs of training, travel and accommodation.”

It should be remembered that the Challenger Tour has more than 200 tournaments in more than 40 different countries, with five categories ranging from Challenger 50 (50 ATP points are awarded to the winner) to Challenger 175. The latter, which includes only five tournaments in 2024, was created in 2023 as a premium tournament category, with a higher prize pool. Lately, there has also been an increase in the number of tournaments in the 100 and 125 categories.