Peek into Top Padel Players' Salaries Worldwide: Still Lagging Far Behind Tennis and Badminton?

Padel is no longer just a Lifestyle trend among urban communities. At the professional level, it has evolved into a financially promising career, though its scale remains below more established racket sports like tennis and Badminton.

According to data compiled by Padel Nirvana, top world players like Arturo Coello, Agustin Tapia, and Ariana Sanchez can potentially earn up to $1.5 million US dollars annually or approximately IDR 25 billion.

This income comes from two main sources: tournament prize money and commercial contracts. In competitions, elite players are estimated to earn about $530,000 or IDR 8.9 billion per year from total tournament prizes throughout the season.

However, the largest portion comes from off-court activities. Sponsorships are the primary income source for global padel stars, valued at an estimated $1 million or IDR 16.9 billion annually, depending on the athlete's popularity and exposure.

This phenomenon shows that at the highest level, prize money in padel serves more as a foundation, while main earnings rely on commercial partnerships. This pattern resembles other professional sports, though the amounts remain significantly lower.

Compared to tennis, the gap is stark. On Forbes' 2025 list of highest-earning tennis players, Carlos Alcaraz tops with total earnings of $48.3 million or about IDR 815.3 billion annually.

Of this amount, Alcaraz earned $13.3 million (IDR 224.5 billion) from tournament prizes, while $35 million (IDR 590.8 billion) came from sponsorships and off-court commercial activities.

Even the lowest earner in the top 10, Daniil Medvedev, still earns $14.3 million or approximately IDR 241 billion yearly – far exceeding top padel players' total annual income.

An interesting comparison emerges with badminton. World number one Women's Singles player An Se-young from South Korea recorded prize money earnings of about $1 million or IDR 16 billion throughout 2025, accumulated from 14 BWF World Tour tournaments.

An Se-young's achievement is remarkable: she won 11 titles from 14 tournaments, making it one of the most dominant seasons in women's singles badminton history. For comparison, world number two Wang Zhi Yi from China collected about $625,000 in tournament prizes – still higher than elite padel players' prize money.

In sponsorships, An Se-young also holds high commercial value. According to JoongAng Ilbo, she secured a four-year contract with Yonex worth 10 billion Korean won. Averaged annually, this amounts to IDR 28 billion from just one major sponsor – surpassing most top padel players' total yearly earnings.

This comparison reveals padel's position in the global Sports Economy landscape. Despite rapid growth and rising popularity, especially in Europe and Latin America, financially padel still trails tennis and badminton.

However, with tournament expansions, increasing sponsorship values, and padel's entry into new markets, significant economic growth potential remains wide open for this sport in coming years.