When I started writing these blogs, back in 2022, I wrote one on the financial reality of playing on the pro tennis tour – see link below – and how tough it can be on a player’s pocket. Not surprisingly, four years on, times have changed, and so too has the reality of playing professional tennis, and it hasn’t got any easier. Not only have all the related costs gone up astronomically, but other factors now come into play, which have affected players income. It’s no longer just about prize money and endorsements. If the players want to try and generate an income to help pay for their chosen pro athlete career, they now also need to find other sources of income, including becoming “influencers,” as more often than not nowadays, sponsoring companies want a slice of a player’s social media following, as well as their general presence in society. But not all pro players want that social media exposure, and not all players are natural experts at ‘creating content,’ so many are losing out on this current trend and are having to seek a supplementary income from elsewhere.
For sure, at the top level, life is rosy. Prize money at the Grand Slams and the high level Challenger events, has increased massively – the singles winners of the US Open for example, are each taking home $5.5M, but for the majority of players, the financial situation has become much tougher and a pro’s ability to ‘make a living’ out of playing the sport they love, is becoming increasingly difficult, and in some cases, almost impossible.
Coaches fees have risen to c.$2k-3k per week (£1500-£2k) for the mid range player. Travel costs have gone through the roof as a result of increases in fuel charges. Accommodation costs have gone up and just general living expenses have risen exponentially. As a result, the majority of players are finding it almost impossible to survive on the tour. As an example, only last week, my player made it to the singles semi final of a World Tennis pro event. Her gross prize money for getting that far was £567 (before tax). Her costs to get there and back, stay in a low level hotel, and eat minimally were c.£1,600. You do the maths! Was it worth it? Probably not, but she was seeking ranking points.
So what are the alternatives if you are not one of the top level players or one whose social media following attracts ‘big time’ collaborations? More and more players are supplementing their income by coaching or playing money events, the latter of which can be lucrative for the better players. But the downside is that these events offer zero ranking points for the pro tour, so whilst players may manage to win some money, (in some cases more than they would at a World Tennis tournament), they get no recognition of this in terms of their ranking position on the tour, so their plight to make it to the higher level tour events (which offer bigger rewards) are thwarted. As a consequence, many players ‘retire’ – earlier than they probably could/should – many disillusioned by the system and many mentally burnt out. But the reality is, there are hundreds of younger players coming through from all over the world, treading the same path, trying to reach the top, and it is these who will simply replace the ones who leave the tour, at least until they themselves realise the enormity of the journey ahead.
So in effect, the lower/mid level players just become fodder for the elite players at the top. The majority of lower/mid level players simply cannot get to the top level – often not because of a lack of talent, more so because of a lack of finance and affordable opportunities.
Another alternative source of income, almost predominantly (but not entirely) for female tennis pros, is the likes of businesses such as ‘Only Fans’. There are many players on the women’s tour who have Only Fans accounts to supplement their income. I find this quite sad but I fully understand their plight. This really is a reflection of the women’s tour, which we all know lacks the financial and spectator support that the men’s game enjoys – sadly a fact of life at the moment.
And finally, a new form of income has emerged in the past couple of years, which provides some explanation as to why there has been an increase in the number of female players heading to US College, as opposed to going straight onto the pro tour after leaving school. A few years back, college athletes were bound by very strict NCAA rules about money earned from their sport. There was a specified amount that a pro tennis player, for example, could earn from playing – approximately c.$10k about 10 years ago – above this they were not deemed to be ‘amateurs’ (a pre requisite for college athletes). Now however, players are actually being ‘paid’ to go to a US College. They are being given huge financial incentives to sign up and they are allowed to earn significant money from ‘Name, Image and Likeness (NIL)’ endorsements, as well as from prize money and some direct university revenue sharing schemes. These players have it made! They can study and play and be paid at the same time. No wonder so many, especially British players, are signing up! But spare a thought for those whose college years have passed. They do not benefit from these changes to the NCAA rules – hence why so many are thinking about throwing in the towel and seeking a more regular form of income away from the hit and miss (excuse the pun) of the pro tennis tour. #realitytennis
https://realitytennis.wordpress.com/2022/04/07/the-other-side-of-the-coin/
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