- While being an athlete can be lucrative, that is not the case for many pro tennis players.
- In an interview for ESPN, one pro explained how he actually lost money last year.
Being a professional tennis player can be a costly endeavor, and the system often works against their hopes of advancing.
While the top tennis players in the world can earn close to $10 million on the court and even more in endorsements off the court, the life of hundreds of other pros can be quite different.
In a recent story on the financial reality of the tennis world by D'Arcy Maine of ESPN, one pro player broke down how the earnings can be so low that they actually lose money playing professional tennis.
Kiranpal Pannu, ranked No. 574 in the world, earned $6,771 in prize money over 22 events played in 2022. However, he also estimated that his expenses for the year totaled $34,500, for a net loss of nearly $28,000 for the year.
As a non-team sport, Pannu's biggest expense is travel, and a look at his 2022 schedule shows why. He played in tournaments in seven countries on five different continents.
As Maine explains, many players supplement their income with side hustles, most commonly coaching. However, this acts as a catch-22. While they can make more money to support their tennis careers, the coaching can force the players to skip tournaments, hurting their rankings and making it more difficult to advance to the more lucrative tournaments.
Just qualifying for a Grand Slam can be a game-changer for pro tennis players. For example, at this year's Australian Open, a singles player is guaranteed at least US$74,000 (AU$106,250), a sum that grows the farther they advance. This year's men's and women's field winners will each take home US$2 million (AU$3.0 million).
You can read the entire ESPN article on tennis finances here.