ATP Player Retirement Plan supporting more players than ever

Fans see what players accomplish on the court. But they might not know that the competitors on the ATP Tour earn more than PIF ATP Rankings points and prize money with their efforts. 

The ATP Player Retirement Plan, which has surged to record levels, helps qualifying player members share in the ATP’s strong financial performance.

The plan expanded in 2024, allowing 135 additional players to qualify each season for a year of service moving forward. The total number of players who qualified in 2024 nearly doubled to 300, up from 165.

Matthew Ebden, a member of the Player Advisory Council, explained why the opportunity to qualify for the Retirement Plan is valuable for players.

“The ATP pension plan for players is super, super important, and it's one I think all players should know about very early on in their careers,” Ebden said. “Very young, even when they're starting on the Tour, because they can start earning those pension years from the beginning of their career, and they should be. All those years of work and commitment that can then pay off in their pension and retirement plan once they are retired later on in life.”

In 2024, US $26.3 million was contributed to the fund, up from $18.7 million in 2023. The total assets are just more than $300 million.

The number of players benefitting from contributions has reached record heights, with the introduction for a Tier 1 and Tier 2 system from 2024. The 200 players qualifying as part of Tier 1 rare set to receive $121,500 each, with the 100 players in Tier 2 each receiving $20,000.  With more players earning a year of service, there are also more players vesting and qualifying for payments from the Retirement Plan, which was formally established in 1990. At current levels, a Tier 1 player with five years of service, is estimated to be eligible to receive monthly payments ranging between 12,000 and 15,000 USD, for a 20-year period from the age of 50.

Historically, players needed five years of service to vest in the plan to be eligible for payments from age 50, In 2018 a partial vesting component was created for players who qualify for three years.

The further increases and expansion are due to ATP’s groundbreaking growth strategy, OneVision, and the creation of Tennis Data Innovations (TDI). This expansion further illustrates ATP’s focus on providing more money and financial security to a greater number of players.

“It's a plan that's been growing year to year. It's one that ATP has taken very seriously, and looked at growing and increasing,” Ebden said. “And now it's been expanded in the last couple of years to more players than ever before, even out to a full 300 players. So it's an ever-growing, ever-expanding pension plan, and definitely one that all players should take advantage of.”