With Wimbledon 3r win, Novak Djokovic becomes first player ever to amass $150 million in prize money earnings

Novak Djokovic is bidding to win a sixth Wimbledon title this week, which would take him level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's all-time Grand Slam record of 20 Majors. But Djokovic has already made history at the tournament, albeit of a different kind, with his third-round win over Denis Kudla.

The World No. 1 has become the first tennis player - male or female - to amass $150 million in prize money.

Before entering Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic's prize money stood at a whopping $149,810,010. And his win over Kudla has guaranteed that the Serb will leave the Championships with a minimum prize money of £181,000 or $250,000 (approx).

Thus, Novak Djokovic's total prize money currently stands at $150,060,010.

Djokovic First to $150 Million in Tour Winnings -the first tennis player or golfer to reach the winnings threshold❗️'While Djokovic is the best-paid player in tennis, he wants players to get a bigger share of the pie' oversimplification by @kbadenhausenhttps://t.co/VhbxhFfL5I

— C Kristjánsdóttir ●🐊 (@CristinaNcl) July 5, 2021

The 34-year-old has had a sublime season so far, with three titles to his name already. Two of those titles were Grand Slams - the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Novak Djokovic also won the title at the Belgrade Open, and finished as the runner-up at the Italian Open. His efforts have seen him earn $4,153,831 so far this year ($4,135,635 in singles), which is the most that any player has pocketed in 2021.

Novak Djokovic's closest competitor in terms of career prize money is Roger Federer, but even he is far behind

Roger Federer

Roger Federer's career prize money before his 2021 Wimbledon campaign stood at $130,230,769, which is approx. $20 million behind Djokovic's total income. Even if the Swiss claims a record-extending ninth title at the Championships, he will not be able to reduce the gap by much.

The Wimbledon winner will pocket a sum of £1,700,000 this year, which is a far cry from the £2,350,000 allotted in 2019.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is third on the all-time list with a career prize money of $124,937,195. Britain's Andy Murray is a distant fourth, at $61,870,363.

Amongst the women, Serena Williams leads the chart with a total career prize money of $94,453,854. Her sister Venus Williams is a distant second with $42,173,992 in her kitty.

Needless to say, it is unlikely that any of the aforementioned players will come close to the $150 million mark, let alone topple Novak Djokovic's earnings by the time he calls it a day.

The Serb is still at the peak of his powers, which suggests he will dominate the tour for a few more years. Djokovic has also shifted his focus to the Slams, so he will likely receive a bigger paycheck whenever he plays.

Novak Djokovic after beating Denis Kudla

Novak Djokovic's nearest competitor - Roger Federer - is at the twilight of his career and is unlikely to play for more than a year or two. Given that Federer is a shadow of his former self coupled with the fact that he too is selective with his events, it will be practically impossible for him to get past Djokovic's tally.

Rafael Nadal, however, could do better than the Swiss if his health permits him to. The Spaniard turned 35 this year, and looks set to continue playing for another three or four years.

Given the rate at which Nadal sweeps claycourt events, he could finish above Federer in the all-time list. But it is unlikely that he will get close to Novak Djokovic's figure.

The memes are so good guys 🤣🤣😂😂😂 keep tagging me bahahaaa #WimbledonThing pic.twitter.com/j4vkYYcB0E

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 4, 2021