Indian Wells has long been recognised as one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar, with several of the ATP and WTA’s leading stars set to be back in action at the tournament this year.
Jack Draper and Mirra Andreeva triumphed at the tournament in 2025, and all eyes will be on who can lift one of the most prestigious titles in tennis in 2026, with the event in Tennis Paradise set to take place from March 4-15.
However, even though the Masters and WTA 1000 event is one of the most recognisable outside of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the prize money on offer will be less than the winnings earned by the likes of Draper and Andreeva twelve months ago.
How has the prize money decreased?
Overall, a significant amount of prize money is on offer in Indian Wells, with a prize money pot of $9,415,725 on offer across the (ATP) men’s singles and doubles events, and the same amount on offer across the (WTA) women’s singles and doubles events.
That is a combined total of $18,831,450 in prize money for the combined ATP and WTA 1000 tournament, though that is down from 2025.
Twelve months ago, the men’s singles and doubles events had a combined total prize money purse of $9,693,540, while the women’s singles and doubles events had a prize money purse of $9,489,532.
The combined prize money purse of $19,387,080 was up by 6.63% from 2024, though the tournament has now decreased its overall prize money by around 2.87% in 2026.
For his victory in the men’s singles event in 2025, Draper took home an impressive $1,201,125, while runner-up Holger Rune received $638,750 for his efforts.
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However, as per the ATP Tour website, this year’s men’s singles champion will earn $1,151,380 — down almost $50,000 from 2025 — while the runner-up will receive a decreased pay cheque of $612,340.
A full breakdown has not yet been published by the WTA Tour for the women’s singles event, though there may also be slight decreases there.
Tournament champion Andreeva took home $1,127,500 for her campaign in the desert last March, with runner-up Aryna Sabalenka receiving $599,625.
Indian Wells is still offering a significant amount of prize money in 2026, especially compared to other 1000-level events.
The recent sole WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai both offered $665,000 to the eventual champions, with Karolina Muchova and Jessica Pegula lifting the titles in the Middle East.
However, at a time when players across both the ATP and WTA are regularly calling for regular prize money increases and a greater revenue share, the tournament’s decision to head the other way is a surprise.
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