‘I Can’t Afford..’- Unlike Serena Williams’ Astronomical $95 Million On-Court Earnings, Financial Burden Weighs Down Lower-Ranked WTA Players

The life of tennis players seems elegant, bossy, powerful, and, most of all, rich. The prize money of tournaments, especially the majors, is so lucrative that even if players retire early, they will save enough to pay their bills. If they sign endorsements and make some good investments, they are settled for life. Serena Williams‘ earned a total of $95 million from playing tennis. The 23 times Grand Slam champion gave her all to the game and fought with hunger and passion that tennis had never witnessed. But this was more than a decade ago.

The 41-year-old’s influence on the game took the world by storm, and players emerged from every corner. The effect snowballed. People became more interested in tennis and picked their idols. While players increased, resources did not. Striving players revealed horrifying financial truths which shook the world.

WTA players engage in self-coaching as they struggle to meet expenses

Players ranked outside of the Top 100 exposed brutally honest realities on the prize money they receive. They admitted that the money they receive does not even come close to the expenses they had to incur to participate in a tournament. In a video released on TikTok, players went into detail about their economic struggle.

The 553rd ranker, Katerina Stresnakova, is playing without a coach as her earnings did not allow her to afford one. Talking about her earnings and expenditure, the Slovakian said, “This year so far, I’ve made $4947 in earnings, and I’ve spent about $10998. It’s without a coach because I can’t afford it.”

Madison Sieg, who stands at the 441st position, said, “I’ve spent about 25,000 dollars, and I’ve made about $3993 without a coach. It’s probably more.” The struggling Chinese professional, Xinyu Gao, who holds a rank of 333, said, “I had to hire a coach and everything, so maybe I’ve spent around $20,000. I got in prize money around $7,000.” Serena, too, struggled in the early stages of her career, but she made it to the top and clinched the position like no other.

READ MORE: 2 Years After $40,000,000 Success, Iconic Sisters Venus and Serena Williams Take On ‘Unsung Heroes’ Project to Shed Light on Extra-Ordinary Women Athletes

Serena Williams shares a piece of financial advice that she ardently follows

Growing up, Serena and her sister Venus Williams were coached by their father, Richard Williams. The Williams sisters’ father had a reputation for being strict with his daughters. Momma Smash once gave an interview to the former NBA player Jay Williams during a Chase Chats webcast in which she shared a financial offer by her dad.

The former number one’s dad told her not to go on a shopping spree, buying everything she sets her eyes on. He also cautioned that athletes tend to lose money owing to this one trait. Serena, being a mother, passed it on to her daughter as she reminds Olympia that a thing needs to be paid for if it breaks, thus teaching her the value of money.

Tennis is an individual sport, and managing expenses can be a hurdle even if one is well-off. Aspiring players need proper training and equipment, which does not come cheap. If they have to pay for their coach, it becomes a huge deal, but if they don’t, their game has less scope for improvement. So players are stuck in a loop, and the issues only snowball.

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