The ATP Tour stepped up its plans to enhance earnings for players in the feeder Challenger Tour on Wednesday, increasing the prize pool by $6.2 million to a record total of $28.5 million for the 2025 season.

The Challenger Tour’s prize money has seen a 135% increase since 2022.

The Challenger Tour is the second rung of the professional ladder and features nearly 200 tournaments across more than 40 countries each season, helping players gain vital experience, ranking points and prize money to progress to the ATP Tour.

Players at the lower levels often struggle to maintain their careers due to a lack of steady sponsorship as well as expensive coaching, travel and accommodation but the ATP has delivered key reforms in the Challenger Tour via its OneVision strategic plan.

“Creating a sustainable player pathway to the ATP Tour is vital for the future of our sport,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement. “… The results [since 2022] have been clear: record-breaking prize money, year-on-year increases and most importantly, more players inside the top 250 provided with greater financial compensation at this level.”