Tennis: the players struggling to break even | FT Scoreboard

Tennis champions Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka are among the best paid athletes in the world. But prize money drops off steeply, with lower-ranked players often struggling to make a living amid the expense of travel and coaching. The FT talks to governing bodies in what is a fragmented sport and follows two players fighting to get to the top and get paid

#tennis #NovakDjokovic #EmmaRaducanu #AustralianOpen #BillieJeanKing

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[joesinclair]

A lot of people here are commenting on the issue of equal prize money between men and women. But this video is mostly about the question of spreading wealth to the lower ranking players, who sometimes struggle to make a living, regardless of gender. It would be good to hear more views on that, once you've watched the video. Thanks

[constantinvalidol]

Imagine being in top 100 at your profession. People don't realize how much it means until they cross-reference with their own career.

[CW-rxjs]

This is why people should appreciate Djokovic more for the changes he's trying to bring in for lower ranked players.

[thomasmourre]

I rarely leave comments on YouTube videos but this is a brilliant one with great content. I am a FT reader and love seeing journalists and main actors highlighting issues in sports and arts (not only finance/economy).

[ePlayablez]

Really goes to show how brainless those people are that criticized Djokovic's PTPA (which pushed for more money for lower-ranked players).. They did NO research nor did they have any intention of uncovering the truth about what his actual objectives were and just wanted another way to hate on him.

That is very low. I hope that these people can find peace..

[ltrotter]

The tennis association should recognize what they have in these players... they can be extraordinary ambassadors for the sport if they can make enough income. I've attended challenger events and these folks are incredibly talented. Plus, they're super accessible, which is not something you can say of players at the superstar level (and it's understandable). Little kids and their parents can walk right up and have conversations, ask questions, gain insights... it's special. It's what tennis needs, really. So instead of punishing them because they're not in the top "whatever" reward them for their talent by paying them a professional income and encourage them to continue traveling, playing, and talking to fans! That's how you make more people care about the sport and keep current fans engaged!

[RicardoGarza]

I think it would've been great if you also included Liam's expenses to see how much of a profit a pro tennis player ranked in the top 200 is making per year.

[jw-]

Considering that tennis used to be known as rich people sport, and in some parts of the world, is still is known as such, I'm not surprised that majority of the professional players are struggling to break even.

[joits]

Very smart to include Emma Raducanu in the thumbnail even though she wasn't even mentioned once. I'll admit I only clicked on it because I thought they'd talk about her, or at least mention her.

[timw]

It's like being an actor. Only the top players make money the rest barely afford to be on the tour

[quentincrisp]

This subject was covered by the NYT 6 months ago! The '21 U.S. Open Qualifying saw an an increase of 66% across the field in prize money. First round main draw losers in singles rec'd $75K 2nd round $115K in the main draw almost a 20% increase.

[merrymachiavelli]

It's be interesting to see an analysis of the socio-economic background of Tennis players. I would presume that most Tennis players are bank rolled by family for the majority of their career, although I suppose it's more manageable if you can work part-time, which might be an option for some players.

[scrabbleking]

Creating fan and media interest outside the four grand slam events would be extremely beneficial. How to achieve this is the real problem that needs to be During coverage of the grand slams they should promote the all the other local tournaments....

[dabrocka]

The ATP and WTA should just partner with Youtube. The problem with traditional media is the limitation of air time with streaming problem solved. It's also more accesible to fans, the only thin left is for the $ to make sense

[crazycatpetera]

Transitioning from Juniors to Seniors in Tennis is brutal because the focus shifts immediately to your weaponry as a player, which is primarily genetics. You can have a really talented Junior, like Liam, who was one of the very best in the world but had a shorter, skinnier physique and once he moved into Seniors, it became clear he didn’t have any big weapons to trouble and pressure his opponents. He has to grind and fight for every single ball which must be EXHAUSTING and he’s barely making a living. He’s been on the pro tour for 14 years now and still hasn’t cracked the top 100.. hopefully he gets a well-deserved breakthrough soon! 🙏🏻

[FakeAndTrolled]

Doesn’t only 12% of ATP revenue go to the players, while in the NBA it’s closer to 50%?

[ndk]

I have few friends who are extremely good when they were young, went pro, spent time in top 200 for about a year max and never to be heard again. Unless you are God inside your semi pro tennis community, or have alot of money to burn, or both, don’t even try..

[lucasnunesdacosta]

The situation for players in poorer countries are even Worse. In South america, players tend to only compete in local/ regional tournaments because it is very expensive to play in Europe/ US… obviously currency Issues play a big role on it ( 1 USD ~ 6BRL).

This situation contributes to a major problem for Young players in this countries. It is very difficult for a player (specially younger ones) to take a big Step in their carrers id they are not playing good competition, playing different tournaments and Having a decent coaching /training structure. In my opinion, this is one of the main reassons Brazilian players stagnate in the ~100/150 rankings… We have a lot of players that were in the top 5/ top 10 in Junior rankings that are only starting to see progress in atp rankings 6-8 years after becoming pro. Players that were winning Junior grand slams 5 years ago and are Still playing challengers in Bolívia to make a living…

It really is a high risk reward carrer

[davorvidovic]

Just for this peace alone, Novak should be praised because he’s trying to get more money for lover ranking players, Novak ☝️👑🎾

[jackdanielss]

The issue is the lack of prizemoney at the challenger and futures level