Income vs. Costs
In the 1970s Tennis turned into a professional sport. Prizemoney was introduced to the tennis-circuits and young players already started specializing as teenagers. Nowadays top athletes can earn big sums at tournaments and are rewarded with valuable contracts.Embed from Getty Images
Many only see the big money that top players earn. But these are the exceptions. Weaker players can hardly afford good hotels, they leave tournaments early and their prize money is barely enough to pay expenses.
If a player drops out in the second round of a tournament, depending on the quality of the event, you will earn between 1500 and 2500 dollars. But all costs such as flights, hotels and meals must be paid for. In addition, taxes are deducted directly from prize-money at most tournaments.