While their rivals ramp up their Australian Open preparations at the Brisbane International and the United Cup, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are settling in over in South Korea.
The world’s top two players are set to contest an exhibition match in Incheon, South Korea, on January 10.
It will be a rematch of the previous three Grand Slam finals.
Alcaraz beat Sinner at the 2025 French Open and US Open, while Sinner beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
The exhibition promises to be an exciting contest, but just how much will the pair earn for their trip to South Korea?
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner rumored to earn over $2 million each in South Korea
As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Alcaraz and Sinner are rumored to be guaranteed $2.3 million each from their exhibition bout.
For context, the winner of the 2026 Australian Open men’s singles title will earn $2.8 million.
To earn just half a million dollars less playing an exhibition than winning the seven matches required to pick up a Grand Slam title seems absurd.
What’s even more absurd is that this isn’t even close to the biggest prize pool the pair have fought over.
At the 2025 Six Kings Slam, Sinner beat Alcaraz in Saudi Arabia, earning himself $6 million.
The exhibition money is crazy, but luckily for fans of Grand Slam tennis, it’s clear that Alcaraz and Sinner still care about the events.
After the big-money match in South Korea, Alcaraz and Sinner will both fly to Melbourne, ahead of the year’s first major tournament.
Who is the favorite for the Australian Open?
Returning as the two-time defending champion, Sinner is undoubtedly the favorite Down Under.
Especially when comparing their records at the Australian Open.
Sinner has a 22-4 record at the event. Alcaraz, on the other hand, has an 11-4 record.
Alcaraz has also never been past the quarterfinals in Melbourne.
Things are different now, though, and Alcaraz has made significant improvements over the last 12 months.
It also remains to be seen how the Spaniard will perform without Juan Carlos Ferrero in his coaching team.
Alcaraz could progress or regress with Samuel Lopez taking a bigger role.
It’s also reckless to just focus on the big two, as the likes of Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev could be set to challenge.
Djokovic is a record-10-time champion, and Zverev reached the final last time around.
Only time will tell who will emerge with the Australian Open trophy, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 18.
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