ATP annual prize money to exceed $100m for first time

ATP chiefs on Friday revealed overall prize money for the men's tennis tour will exceed $100 million (£63.6 million) for the first time in 2015.
Players on the World Tour will also see the prize money pool reach $135 million by 2018 as the ATP reaps the rewards of the sport's huge global appeal to sponsors and fans.
"The increases at ATP events are a testament to the sustained success of men's professional tennis, as well as demonstrating the ATP's confidence in the strength of its product and projected growth in future years," an ATP statement read.
The biggest increases come at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 category -- the events regarded as second only to the four Grand Slams in terms of prestige, with tournaments providing annual increases of 11 percent, and with the ATP contributing a further 3 percent increase, resulting in a 14 percent annual increase in that category through to 2018.
Player compensation at the less glamourous ATP World Tour 250 events is set to increase at an average of 3.5 percent per year during the same period.
Source: AFP