With a prize money pot of £38 million up for grabs at The Championships, you would think playing pro tennis is a lucrative sport.
Although Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the top-earning male and female athletes in the world, taking home a combined £97 million last year from prize money and endorsements according to Forbes, the reality of life on tour on the lower ranks is decidedly less glamourous.
In fact, according to a 2013 survey by the International Tennis Federation, about half of all 14,000 men and women playing pro tennis then made no money at all.
For those battling for ranking points and prize money on the lower ranks, a £45,000 cheque for making the first round of The Championships can make or break their season.
“The money does make a difference,” lucky loser Brayden Schnur told Wimbledon.com, after losing to wild card Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, 6-2 6-4 6-4, in the opening round.
“It’s just a step in the right direction,” said the No.112 ranked Canadian, who will see his year-to-date prize money grow by almost half to over £139,000 after competing in his first Grand Slam event.
Unlike most professional team sports, where players receive a fixed base income, plus results-dependent bonuses, and have their expenses covered by their teams, professional tennis players run their own one-person business. This means they have to cover most of their own costs, whether travel, coaching, stringing rackets or physiotherapy.
According to the ITF, it costs around £32,000 on average a year to play professional tennis.
In order to help those on the lower ranks cover their costs, the four Grand Slam events have significantly lifted prize money in the qualifying tournaments and early rounds of the main draws in recent years.
For example, prize money for those who lose in the opening round at The Championships increased by 15.4 per cent this year compared to 2018, while second round prize money rose 14.3 per cent.
“There is still a lot more pieces of the puzzle to put together,” said Schnur, who gets some help from Tennis Canada with his coaching. “It’s one good pay cheque, but you have to look at all the expenses that I have accumulated over the years of trying to get to this level. I’m still trying to pay off debts. I’ll never be able to pay off my parents, that’s for sure.”
It was also a profitable day for world No.112 British wild card Harriet Dart, who boosted her year-to-date earnings by close to 80 per cent after reaching the second round, which will bring her a guaranteed £72,000 pounds.
“Obviously financially it helps a lot,” Dart, 22, said after beating Christina McHale of the US, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, on Court 14, in a match that was watched in part by the Duchess of Cambridge.
“I didn’t even know that was the amount,” said Dart, who had previously earned £103,072 this season. “I don't tend to look at those sort of things. I just take each match as it comes, just try to focus on that. For sure, financially it will help with my team.”
After playing in his first Grand Slam event, it was back to reality for Schnur, who said he will fly home this week to take part in a lower-tier Challenger event in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The tournament has a total prize money pot of £43,000 including £5,000 for the winner.
“I’m still working on putting together a more solid team around me, so that I have a coach with me every week,” said Schnur. “Hopefully, I can keep going at this level and win some more matches, and get some bigger pay cheques.”
