A parent's perspective on what life is really like for a player trying hard to make it in the pro world. The good, the bad and the reality of life on the pro tour – starting at the bottom.
Every now and again a player appears on the women’s tennis pro tour and when I do a check on their profile, I cannot always believe their age. I first had this feeling when my player was on the junior tour, but it happened again more recently when she was scheduled to play a woman from Eastern Europe at an ITF WTT event. When I viewed the player’s profile, I noticed that her age was reported to be 18, but when I saw her I wasn’t so sure that could be correct!
Once on the women’s tour a players age is of little importance but when playing in juniors, age and physical/emotional maturity can make a big difference. Certainly when my player was a junior, some of her opponents were so much taller and bigger than her, but apparently they were the same age. Technically speaking, I have always understood that when a baby is born, their birth has to be registered fairly quickly, and certainly within a few weeks, but I am not totally convinced this rule is upheld worldwide and certainly, on the women/girls side of tennis, there are some players out there who do not look as young as their given age might suggest!
I once this discussed this with a player from China and she told me that she was aware that in some parts of China for example, the birth of babies are not always registered immediately and the child may be almost 2/3 years old before their details hit the system. Can this be correct? It certainly appears like it could be when I see some of the women players joining the tour. There are certainly some out there who claim to be 18 , 19 or 20 but they look far older! Maybe that is just the effect of life on tour! We will never know and I am certainly not claiming that the parents of junior players are trying to gain a competitive advantage but stranger things have happened! 😂
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Last month, Ben Shelton beat Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter finals of the US Open. It was an incredible match, which finished in the early hours of the following morning. At the net at the end, there was a genuine hug and smiles from both players. Alcaraz, the bookies favourite, had lost but wow was he gracious in defeat. The picture of him in the tunnel when he left the court was nothing short of inspiring. Carlos was smiling and whilst I am sure he was immensely disappointed with the loss, he knew that he had performed well and done his best on the day. He later posted a message on his Instagram, account:
“What a battle Ben! ❤️ You deserve the win. I wish you the best for the rest of the tournament!”
I just love this! Whatever disappointment he was feeling he just kept it all hidden and was full of praise for his opponent.
Photo Credit: TSN
Now how often do we see something similar with other players, and dare I say it, with the women players in particular? I wrote a blog about this a while back ( see link below), and sadly things seem to have changed very little. Take for example, Sabalenka’s recent loss at the China Open in Beijing. She was beaten by a better player on the day – rising star Bartunkova from the Czech Republic – but the hand shake at the net was so cold and no words were spoken, and given that Bartunkova is only 20 years old, I think a few words from Sabalenka would have been nice, if only to praise her on what she had just achieved at such a young age. Now I do understand how tough it is when a player loses but it doesn’t cost to be gracious and show a little respect to the person across the net who has played incredibly well, and given possibly her best ever performance.
Source: Instagram
Not all (female) players are like this but there are certainly quite a few on the tour (and off as well). At the end of the day, these matches are indeed a gladiatorial battle but there can only be one winner and surely there should be some mutual respect for your opponent. After all, all the players are trying to achieve the same aim; they are ‘all in this together’ so know only too well what it takes to win a match and how it feels when you lose. I am not underestimating the sadness and frustration a player feels when she loses a match she thinks she ‘should’ have won – but there is no ‘should’ in tennis. A match is anyone’s for the taking – that’s what makes it such an amazing sport – but at least be polite and say ‘well played’ when you lose to someone who has played better than you on the day.
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Sometimes on the ITF World Tour I get the impression the event organisers are trying to ‘pull a fast one’ and players need to be aware! In particular, and all of these came up very recently with my player, are the issues of physio support, new balls and the timely payment of prize money.
As you can see from the image above, at the recent ITF W50 event in Yecla, Spain, physio services were being charged for . Now according to the ITF WTT Rules and regulations:
“On-site treatment administered to players by a Sports Physiotherapist(s) must be free of chargeat all Women’s WTT tournaments.”
My player got injured mid match, early on in the week. The physio came on court and gave some minimal treatment in the time allowed but post match, my player was expected to pay if she wanted/needed to see the physio for some more comprehensive treatment. We advised the Tournament Director of the rules and only then was my player told that she could have 20 mins of ‘free’ treatment but anything longer than that would be charged at the advertised rate. 🤔
Another rule that some tournaments like to stretch somewhat is when it comes to giving players practice balls. In the WTA events players are given new balls for every practice. At ITF WTT events, practice balls have typically been ‘used’ but certainly at W35 tournaments and above:
“A minimum of three (3) new balls of the same brand and type as the match balls must be available for practice for each Main Draw Player/Team in advance of their first match.”
There have been many occasions where we have had to remind the tournament staff of this!
This reminds me of another anomaly which recently happened. The ITF W35 tournament in Hurghada, Egypt had stated on its fact sheet that they would be using Dunlop Fort balls, so sharp minded players practiced with these balls before going to the event. However, on arrival players were given Dunlop AO balls – very different from the heavier Dunlop Fort balls. 🤔
Another thing to be aware of is when a player can expect/hope to be paid for their efforts. Some tournaments pay the players with cash (usually US$ or €) but sometimes, and in particular with the higher level events, payment is made via a bank transfer. According to the ITF WTT Rules and Regulations, “payment of prize money electronically must be paid immediately and all transfers must be processed by the Tuesday (following the event) and completed (in a player’s selected account) by the Friday following the tournament”.
Sadly this is not always the case, and players are advised to keep on top of this. Not for the first time, and at a recent ITF WTT event in Poland, my player had still not been paid three weeks after the end of the tournament. Had she not chased the organiser, national federation and the ITF then she would most likely still be waiting for her money! The tournament organiser actually blocked her from Whatsapp contact despite the fact that it was the organisers fault that the payment had not been issued. Poor public relations!
Finally, “if a Tournament Organiserelects to pay the prize money via bank transfer, the Tournament Organiser and/or National Association will be liable for any bank fees associated with such transfer.” This one is worth keeping an eye on too as again my player has certainly incurred bank fees that should not have been her responsibility. The amounts may only be relatively small but for the players every penny counts.
So, if you have a player on the tour, encourage them to know their entitlements and to question things if they feel that rules are being stretched or ignored, especially when it comes to things like payment of fees for physio treatment etc. #realitytennis
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Imagine this. You have a job, a profession, but the amount you get paid simply doesn’t cover what you have to pay to do the job. So, your ‘salary’ isn’t enough to pay for your travel to work, your food whilst at work and any assistance you need to do the job effectively. And on top of that you also get charged tax, both in the UK and overseas.
Sounds tough? Well, welcome to pro tennis.
New players coming into the game are largely oblivious to their plight ahead. They are keen, eager but possibly, somewhat naive.
The top-level players, on the other hand, have talent that has helped them progress up the pro ladder faster than the average player and also, most likely, the financial support (from parents, federations, sponsors) to cover any deficit they might incur. As a result, they are usually quite unaware of the struggles being experienced by their lower ranked peers, and also why would they care anyway!
But for the mid-range players life is very different. Take a player ranked top 300-500 in the World (yes, the World!), they spend the majority of their year playing ITF World Tour level tournaments all over the globe – the W35/W50/W75s in the case of the women. But unless they reach the semi-final or beyond, they are pretty much guaranteed to come away with nothing for their hard work, and more likely than not, they will go away at the end of each week, having actually lost money.
Take for example, my player. A few weeks ago she travelled to Poland for a ITF W15 event. She made the semi finals. Her gross prize money was £568. She then paid out £57 in local tax. Her costs to go to this event (entry fee, stringing, flights, accommodation, transport to and from the site etc) were £1,683. She did not have a coach with her. Total loss that week was c.£1,172.
The next tournament was a ITF W35 in Egypt. She made the quarter finals. Her gross prize money was £620. Local tax was £124. Costs amounted to £1,592 (again no coach). Total loss for the week was c.£1,096.
Week 3 took her to an ITF W50 in Spain. She lost in the last 16 having incurred an injury. Her gross prize money was £541. Local tax was £130. Costs amounted to £1,236 (again no coach). Total loss for the week was c.£.825.
So over these particular three weeks, my player lost c.£3,093. Why continue to play I hear you ask? Well to succeed in pro tennis, i.e. get to the higher levels which do actually earn you enough money to cover your costs, you need to play and earn ranking points and over those 3 weeks, 20 points were gained which resulted in a ranking rise. However, the ranking system is an annual roll over one so, as points are going on they are also coming off, so the pressure to perform and gain points never stops.
I could go on but I think you get the picture. This kind of continual financial loss is simply not sustainable. All well and good if your player has a sponsor, federation support or family money, but sadly, the majority do not – mine included. So they play for a few years then have to give up what they are good at because they have run out of funds, or the mental and physical stress of it all is too much. Some are able to supplement their income to support their pro careers for a little longer (see link below), but when doing this, they cannot simultaneously play tournaments so consequentially, cannot earn ranking points, so cannot get into the bigger events where the rewards are so much greater, and so the cycle continues.
Now some people will say that these players are simply not good enough but I would respond by saying firstly, to reach a level that is even in the top 1000 in the World is pretty exceptional. The World is a very big place and to be able to say you are one of the top 1000, 250, 600 players in the World is something to be extremely proud of. And secondly, if all the players who were losing money week in week out just gave up because they were deemed ‘not good enough’, then there would be no players for the top pros to play against.
Others might say, why travel so far to play these events. The simple answer to that is a player plays whichever tournament they can get into and whichever tournament they have the best chance of doing well. It is not easy to be choosey and just play the ones closer to home (which doesn’t mean in their own country) – they have to go where they get into the draw.
Now of course, there are many people in the world who have jobs that don’t cover their expenses, but you don’t really expect this to be the case when you are looking at professional sport. The media is often filled with stories of how much pro footballers, basketball players and tennis pro’s are getting when they compete, but little coverage is given to all the hundreds and thousands of high-level athletes, who lose money week in week out, but carry on playing their chosen sport because it’s something they are good at and it is their job. They don’t necessarily love it (not everyone loves their job) but it is what they are good at and it has to be worth trying at least for a while, to make a living. But there inevitably comes a time when reality hits and players have to stop and try to secure a more reliable, regular form of income. Surely there must be a better way of organising pro tennis? Dare I mention Pickleball which, for the moment at least, is organised such that players are contracted to play and so receive a monthly salary. This at least takes away some of the stress of playing and wondering where the next pay check is coming from. How can tennis pro’s focus on the ‘process’ when they are constantly worrying about costs and whether or not they can afford to travel to the next tournament or even cover basic bills?
#realitytennis
Highest Paid Tennis Players (2026 to date) Source: Facebook
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Last week I travelled to Spain with my player for an ITF W50 in a small town called Yecla. A delightful club, set in the hills inland from the Costa Blanca. Nice staff, good food and a quality clubhouse. The organisation was great and the courts were well maintained and nice to play on. However, there were two issues to contend with with this venue – its’ location and lack of available accommodation.
Yecla is located c.100km from the international airports in Valencia, Alicante and also, Murcia. However, getting to it was challenging. Car hire was really the only option as the train/bus network offered no simple options and a taxi for that distance was unaffordable. However, many of the players at the tournament were travelling alone and the cost of renting a car if you are under 25 years is a limiting factor, so just getting to the tournament was far from easy.
However, getting to the venue was not the main problem – finding accommodation was far more challenging. The hotel on the tournament fact sheet was small and full – of tournament officials – and there were no alternatives in the town. So apartments were the only option but these were hard to find. The tournament organisers were not particularly helpful and did not seem to understand that the players needed somewhere local to stay. Anyway, it turned out to be quite an adventure and certainly a ‘first’ for me and my player as we ended up staying in a hostel, with shared facilities and extremely uncomfortable, small beds.
We stayed in the ‘Surf Room’ and were fortunate enough to have an en-suite bathroom. I use the term en-suite loosely – we had a toilet and shower, in a cupboard! The door to the bathroom was made up of old skateboards, a wake board and a pair of skis (see picture above) and it didn’t really close or offer any kind of privacy.
There was no AC (needed as it was extremely hot) and the beds were hideous! Small, narrow and extremely creaky. You couldn’t even breathe heavily without the bed making a noise and turning over during the night was impossible without waking up your room mate. Both of us woke each morning with stiff and sore joints – even more so than usual for myself who is of more mature years!
The kitchen in the hostel was basic but usable which meant at least we could self cater but we had to share with all the other people staying. This included a couple of “hippies” and their dog. Nice people but very different! But we were fortunate in that we at least had our room for the week – other players had to share double beds with other tennis players, who they did not necessarily know, or had to move out of their accommodation after only a couple of days as their room was booked for another person, and it was extremely difficult for them to find somewhere else local to stay.
So ITF please consider available accommodation and accessibility of tournament venues when finalising competitions. As I have said, the club in Yecla was fabulous but getting there and finding somewhere suitable to stay was such that there are many players who are unlikely to return in future years.
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Some of the tournament locations and venues on the pro tennis tour are fabulous. Some are fairly average but bearable. But there are others that really should only be visited as a last resort, for the majority of players at least! I am thinking in particular of the tournaments in Egypt; Tunisia; and some of the more remote venues in India and Africa.
My reasons for saying this come from personal experience of many of these venues and from reports back from other players/coaches. But sometimes there is simply no alternative and a player has to go wherever they can, and hope for the best.
This happened to us only recently. The tournaments on offer in Europe during the week in question were ‘heavily stacked,’ full of high level players who were en route to Asia. This meant that pretty much the only option for my player was Hurghada, Egypt if she was to play at all. Despite vowing never to return to Egypt (specifically Sharm El-Sheikh and Cairo), the tournament venue in Hurghada was relatively new so we decided to give it a go, and to give the country another chance.
Well, for starters, neither of us had remembered that Egypt is in fact, a very long way from the UK. Five and a half hours away to be exact. Much further than we had recalled. This meant that the flights were more expensive than we had budgeted for – not an ideal start.
On landing at Hurghada International Airport, we were immediately reminded of the endless scams that operate in countries like Egypt. As you walk towards the immigration counters you are advised that all visitors are required to purchase a visa on arrival. The price is US$30 but you can quite easily end up paying far more! First tip (Tip 1) – take US$ cash with you if you don’t want to be charged extortionate credit/currency card fees on top of the visa fee. Second tip (Tip 2), make sure you only pay US$30. Some of the counters were charging US$35 or more but the fee is only US$30 so look for another counter!
Transport to the hotel was the next issue. Public transport is not really a thing for tourists in Egypt so we had pre booked a taxi to take us to the hotel. Tip 3 – sort your transport before you land, including the price, otherwise you will almost certainly be ripped off.
The drive to the tournament hotel took just under an hour – in the dark as the majority of incoming flights land at night. The driving in Egypt is chaotic and hair raising, with no guaranteed seat belts for safety. Tip 4 – stay awake and watch the road!
The hotel for the tournament was a pleasant surprise. Newly built and located immediately adjacent to the tennis courts (as discovered in the early morning when we were woken by the sound of ball against strings). The light of day revealed however, that we were located literally in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but sand all around us – so very little to do when not playing tennis. Tip 5 – take a good book!
The heat in Egypt is intense – dry as opposed to humid – and it is typically quite windy. Hurghada was no exception to this so players need to be prepared to sweat. Tip 6 – take lots of hydration tablets and plenty of spare match kit as a change will almost certainly be mid mid match. Even the officials found the heat too much – one passed out behind my player just as she was about to serve. The poor lady was ‘cooked’ – but thankfully she was taken inside and recovered quite quickly.
Screenshot
One of the main issues with these all inclusive, resort venues is the food and water and all visitors need to be super careful when eating and drinking. During the week we were there, there were 17 tournament withdrawals (men and women) as a result of food poisoning/stomach upsets. The week before this, the figure was much higher at 28! The food is often left out for hours in the heat; the water is not safe to drink; and sometimes, the meat is undercooked. Tip 7 – drink only bottled water; do not have ice in drinks; do not eat salad; and be super vigilant with the meat – all common sense really. We ate simply – eggs, cooked vegetables, bread, rice – and survived! We also avoided the swimming pool – which to be fair, almost everyone did. It looked very inviting but pools in countries like Egypt can be a source of all kinds of water based bacteria if not kept clean and suitably treated with chemicals.
The tournament itself was organised ok. However, there were no new balls for practice and the organisers were asking for US$$s as a deposit (for poor quality used balls). The amount of money for the deposit varied enormously depending on who was on the desk and it wasn’t 100% clear that the deposit was ever going to be returned. Tip 8 – pay the deposit if you have to but if not given a receipt then take a photo of the list (if there is one) so that you can prove that you paid. They weren’t happy when I did this but at least it meant that I had ‘proof of purchase’!
Finally, at this particular tournament, and somewhat disconcerting, was the fact that the line judges were being trained on site only a few hours before the matches began. Surely pro level tournaments should be guaranteed officials with at least some experience. There were some in Hurghada who had clearly never worked on the lines before. As a result, there were some very questionable calls and the players had to handle this as best they could.
Line Judge Training. Photo credit: Sally Appleton
My player and I survived the week in Hurghada but I am not sure we will return. Whilst the hotel was nice and the courts ok, there was always the fear of getting food poisoning and being ‘taken for a ride’ as obvious tourists. However, I think I would rather go there than the newest venue that is on the WTA calendar – that being Luanda, Angola – not for the feint hearted in my opinion. Already players who are considering entering the event have been advised to get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, Yellow Fever, Diphtheria, Tetanus, to name just a few and the British Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel there as it is deemed to be very unsafe. This begs the question, why is the WTA staging a tournament in such a location?
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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
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Being at work on your birthday is common place but being on the pro tennis tour, in a venue that is in the back of beyond, surrounded by your competitors as opposed to your friends and family, is another matter. It’s hard and the day can be lonely and sad.
It’s fine for the top level players who get spoiled by tournament organisers and sponsors but for those players grinding it out on the mid/lower levels, it isn’t easy to spend what should be your special day, away from home in a foreign country, and with relative strangers. Players who you deem to be your ‘friends’ off court, become your opponents during a tournament and, certainly on the women’s side of the game, friendships can be tested, even on occasions such as birthdays. Players don’t always want to go out socially with someone the night before they play them in a match. But likewise, elite athletes are not known for their ‘party-like’ celebrations mid competition – meals tend to remain healthy at least until the tournament is over, and alcohol is pretty much off limits!
Credit: WTA Instagram
I am lucky in that I have had the chance to spend the day with my player on her birthday for as long as I can remember, so at least she has had one family member with her, but for many players on the tour, this is not the case and their special day goes by almost unnoticed. This year, we spent the day in Poland at a tennis centre/venue which is far from any town, so going out to somewhere ‘nice’ to celebrate was challenging. Also there was a match to play which, thankfully, she won! A loss is always hard to face but on your birthday would be pretty brutal.
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Unlike the majority of working people, pro tennis players get paid in a variety of currencies – most typically British Pounds, US Dollars and Euros – but they can also be paid in Swedish Krona, Swiss Francs, Argentinian Pesos to name just a few. It all depends on the tournament level and the organisation hosting the event. They are also paid by cash, cheque or bank transfer, but generally speaking the higher the level of the event, the more likely the payment will be electronic.
As I have mentioned in earlier blogs (see links below), one of the sensible things to do has been for the player to have the money paid into a bank account of the same currency and up until now, that has been a good way of dealing with the different currencies and has helped reduce bank charges for foreign currency deposits, and also with money being lost due to exchange rate fluctuations. But now with the introduction of ‘Making Tax Digital’ in the UK at least, the fact that pro players are paid in multiple currencies has introduced another headache, especially for those who do the book keeping!
As of April 6th this year (2026), ‘Making Tax Digital (MTD)’ for income tax has come into play for sole traders with an annual turnover (not profit!) of over £50,000. This mandatory system requires digital record-keeping, the submission of quarterly updates, and a final year end declaration via HMRC-compatible software. Pro players who are registered as Limited Companies (usually the players in the higher income bracket) are excluded from this new MTD requirement at the moment, at least.
The fact that the tax system is going digital is, in my opinion, a good idea, or so it seems, but two issues have already come to the fore for me, in my plight to adopt this new way of working.
Firstly, you have to purchase one of several HMRC approved software systems which are supposed to help you record the players expenditure, and reconcile it with her bank account(s). Sounds simple but unless you are a trained accountant/book keeper who has had prior knowledge of financial software packages, then the introduction of this new way of thinking and recording can be quite daunting and for many, it will be extremely challenging. I have taken it on as a new learning experience – a new skill – albeit a little later in life than many!
The second issue I have with this new accounting method is the multiple currencies. How many other workers get paid in multiple currencies and have multiple bank accounts. For sure, the software package I have purchased does offer a multiple currency option but the monthly/annual subscription for that element is unaffordable for players at the mid/lower levels so what do you do?
To illustrate the complexities of a tennis pro’s income, let me share an example from a recent tournament in Bogota, Colombia. My player bought her flight to Colombia whilst in the UK and paid for it in British Pounds from her UK bank account. Whilst at the tournament, she paid for meals etc in Colombia Peso’s via a currency card. At the end of the tournament, she purchased a flight to the US and paid for this in US dollars from her US bank account. Her prize money, less Colombian Tax and stringing fees, was paid via a bank transfer in US dollars.
Some might say the easiest thing to do is for the player to open an account which offers multiple currency exchanges, and this is something my player does have, but there are occasions when it is more financially sensible to leave money in dollars for example (especially when paid in cash), rather than trying to deposit it into a sterling account or converting it into pounds, when the exchange rate on the day is less than favourable.
Recording all of this is tricky and far from straightforward so be warned if your player is about to embark on the tour, and you have volunteered to do her book keeping (to save on accountants fees)! It’s challenging if you are not mathematically minded or have very limited experience of monitoring cash flow and expenditure then maybe consider getting specialist help, as every penny counts with tennis pro’s and nothing is ever that simple!
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When people ask about prize money on the pro tennis tour, I think the majority of those ‘outside of the game’, think that it is equal for the men and women players. But this is SO far from the truth. Yes, of course at the Grand Slam level, the prize money is equal and all credit for this must go to the great Billie Jean King (BJK) and the ‘Original 9″, made up of BJK, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Judy Tegart Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Julie Heldman.
But, the reality is this. The Grand Slams (and some of the 1000 events) are pretty much the ONLY tournaments where the prize money/financial support is indeed equal for the two sexes. It’s certainly not the case elsewhere on the tour, and most definitely isn’t on the ITF tour.
At the lowest level – the $15K and $25K/35K events on the ITF tour, the prize money given to the men and women is almost on a par. In fact, the winner of the women’s singles earns slightly more – and when I say “slightly,’ I am talking about less than $200!
However, as a player moves up the rankings and starts to play the higher level tournaments, this is where the disparity really kicks in and it appears that no one is really talking about it, and certainly not doing anything about it! Maybe this is because the players are largely unaware of what their opposite sex is being paid, as the majority of tournaments are held in different geographical locations, or maybe it’s because the ATP (the governing body for the mens tour) make it very hard to actually find the prize money details on their website!
So here are some examples (based upon 2026 figures to date).
The first signs of real prize money inequality is seen at the ITF/Challenger 50 events where the winner of the women’s singles competition receives $6,260 gross. The winner of the mens equivalent event however, receives $9,500 gross (a difference of $3,240). And to make matters worse, and the disparity even greater, the men players have their accommodation/hospitality paid for. The women do not. This item is a personal expense.
Moving up to the ITF/Challenger 75 level and we see the gender pay gap increase further. The women’s singles winner of an ITF W75 event takes home $9,142 gross. The men’s winner gets $17,000 gross (a difference of $7,858). Hospitality in this instance, is provided by both the mens and women’s tournament organisers, but transport for the women is not guaranteed and there is no hospitality for women players who are in the qualifying competition (there is for the men).
At the ITF/Challenger 100 events, the pay gap extends even further. The singles winner of a women’s tournament receives $15,239 gross. The men’s equivalent gets $27,523 gross. A difference of $12,284. Mind blowing!
All of the above mentioned tournaments for the women are organised by the ITF. For the men, challenger events are staged by the ATP.
When the players move up to the 125 level, the WTA takes on the hosting of the women’s tournaments, although it doesn’t really recognise this level and fails to include titles won at this level in players’ profiles. This begs the question, ‘Why?’ – if an event is designated a WTA tournament, a title win should be acknowledged on the WTA website. WTA 125 events are not even included in the WTA calendar (they are separated out) – apparently ‘not worthy’ of inclusion.
The singles winner of a WTA 125 tournament grosses $15,500 – only marginally more than an ITF 100 event. The mens CH 125 singles winner however, receives $36,372 (gross) – $20,872 more than the woman who has won the singles event.
And it gets worse! In summary:
WTA 250 singles winner (Bogota): $37,390 gross; ATP 250 singles winner (Buenos Aires): $102,715 gross. A difference of $65,325.
WTA 500 singles winner (Ningbo): $164,000 gross; ATP 500 singles winner (Dallas): $529,945 gross. Difference: $365,945.
And here’s an interesting one from recently:
WTA 1000 in Dubai, the winner received $665,000 gross. The men’s event had the same prize money but was only designated an ATP 500 event. The equivalent WTA 500 event in Ningbo, China awarded the women’s singles winner $164,000 – a difference of over $500,000! Read that again – a difference of over half a million dollars!
Once a player reaches the 1000 level the prize money does level out (although not always) and at the Grand Slams the prize money is the same (thank you BJK). However, there is the age old argument at the Slams that the women players should be playing the best of 5 sets to justify this. But when you consider the prize money lower down the levels then maybe the best of three sets is justified as an element of ‘pay back’.
The picture for doubles players is equally as bad, if not worse. The prize money disparity is there and to add insult to it all, the prize money has to be shared by the two players.
Some figures to illustrate this:
ITF 15 women’s doubles winner: $477 gross (per player); ITF 15 mens doubles winner: $465 gross (per player). Not even enough to cover travel to the tournament.
It is worth noting here that all the figures included in this blog are of course before any foreign tax is taken off – which can be as much as 30%. Likewise all the figures included relate to the WINNER of the events in question. Spare a thought for those players who lost in the early rounds and went home with a gross income as low as $15 and a guaranteed loss of several hundreds of dollars.
ITF 35 women’s doubles winner: $881 gross (per player); ITF 25 mens doubles winner: $891 gross (per player). Might just cover travel to the venue and some food, but no accommodation.
ITF 50 women’s doubles winner : $1,147 gross (per player); CH 50 mens doubles winner: $1,490 gross (per player). A difference of $343.
ITF 75 women’s doubles winner: $1,672 gross (per player); CH 75 mens doubles winner: $2,490 gross (per player). A difference of $818.
ITF 100 women’s doubles winner: $2,786 gross (per player); CH 100 mens doubles winner: $8,367 gross (per player). A difference of $5,581.
WTA 125 women’s doubles winner: $3,000 gross (per player); CH 125 mens doubles winner: $10,696 gross (per player). A difference of $7,696.
WTA 250 doubles winner: $6,800 gross (per player); ATP 250 doubles winner: $17,860 gross. (per player). A difference of $11,060.
WTA500 doubles winner: $27,150 gross (per player); ATP500: doubles winner: $87,025 gross (per player). A difference of $59,875.
I know the arguments all state that doubles is not as popular as singles; hence the discrepancy in the prize money on offer. But why such a big difference in the prize money for men and women?
It really is time for change. The women’s game is suffering at the mid and lower levels. Players are disheartened and feel grossly under valued yet without them there would be no tournaments to ‘feed’ the top level events. I appreciate that there is more money in the men’s game generally as the men’s game is deemed ‘more attractive’ to sponsors and media but if the income from these sources were to be allocated to one tennis governing body (as opposed to the three that currently exist) then maybe the distribution of prize money, hospitality and tournaments could be a little more fairly balanced between the two sexes? I am sure the male players would not be too happy with a drop in the prize money levels but isn’t it time for some kind of action to at least try to reduce the enormous discrepancy that exists at the moment?
If you have enjoyed this blog, please follow, share and read more at http://www.realitytennis.WordPress.com and subscribe to receive e mail notification of upcoming blogs as they are released. Follow also at:
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If you have similar stories to share, please feel free to e mail the author at: sallyappleton64@gmail.com
