Staggering prize money on offer in darts World Championship highlights money issues in tennis

Kevin Palmer
Luke Littler at the PDC World Darts Championship
Luke Littler at the PDC World Darts Championship

The staggering prize money on offer at this year’s World Darts Championship has served to highlight the lack of finances on offer to lower-ranked tennis players.

The Paddy Power World Darts Championship is being played in front of sell-out crowds in London, with the new champion set to be crowned on January 3.

Players who win two rounds in the competition are guaranteed to take home £25,000, with fourth-round losers guaranteed £35,000.

Semi-finalists will collect £100,000 each and the champion will be handed a winners’ cheque for £500,000.

While these figures are similar to the figures handed out to players in Grand Slam or major tennis events, many professional tennis players struggle to collect the kind of money on offer a the World Darts Championship over an entire year.

Teenager Luke Littler has been the star of the World Darts Championship so far, and he has already ensured he will bring home £25,000 from his breakthrough tournament.

Littler’s prize money from PDC World Championship alone would place him at 307th on the WTA Tour prize money leaderboard with his 2023, putting him ahead of thousands of tennis professionals.

He would also be in the top 400 of earners on the ATP Tour, even though darts is a much smaller global sport than tennis.

The debate over prize money on offer at the lower level of the game has been promoted by world No 1 Novak Djokovic in recent months, as the 24-time Grand Slam champion is pushing for more money in the game to filter down to lower-ranked players.

“We are the third or fourth most globally watched sports,” said Djokovic. “About 1.3 billion people watch it, yet we can’t have more than 400 people living from this sport, both men and women.

“I think we have to put that in our mind and really think about whether this sport is doing great or not.

“The top of the game is doing well, of course. Can’t complain for myself. But I’m speaking on behalf of all the lower-ranked players who struggle to make a living. I think this is the main goal to help them.

“We struggled, unfortunately, [in the] last few decades with the division between ITF, ATP. So ATP only has a reach as much, then after that is ITF,” Djokovic said, referring to the limitation of the tennis bodies.

READ MORE: Ranking the best-ever individual prize-money seasons in tennis: Novak Djokovic peerless as he is only star to hit $21m mark

“We have thousands, tens of thousands of players that are competing around the world. Unfortunately, only 400 to 500, both men and women, singles, doubles and mixed, live from this sport.

“That’s something that I feel like not many people want to talk about, but I feel like it’s super important to always remind ourselves, the Serbian said, calling for the need to take care of lower-ranked players.

“Those lower-ranked players are the majority. We are the minority. We are whatever, 100, 150 players in the world, men’s side, women’s side, all in all. You have tens of thousands of other players who say, ‘Hear us out.’

“We have to do a better job; we have to create a better system for them to make a living, at least break even. I think if you’re 200 in the world, you can’t travel with a coach. You have to travel by yourself. This is not good enough.”

The ATP Tour has made a move to enhance prize money for lower-ranked players with their Baseline programme that offers guaranteed payments for players outside of the game’s brightest spotlight.

In case a player’s prize money earnings finish below the guaranteed threshold, the ATP will step in to cover the shortfall.

For the 2024 season, these levels are $300,000 (Top 100), $150,000 (101-175) and $75,000 (176-250). This assurance will empower players to plan their seasons with greater certainty, focus on their game and invest in their teams. This includes covering the expenses of coaches and personal physios, as well as travel.

The second pillar focuses on injury protection, providing support to players who play fewer than nine ATP Tour and Challenger Tour events in a season due to injury.

This progressive initiative includes thresholds set at $200,000 (Top 100), $100,000 (101-175) and $50,000 (176-250) in 2024.

This is designed to provide financial security during difficult periods, allowing players to focus on recovery and make a successful return to the game.

Related Articles