Luxury hotels, business class flights, expensive flights! This is how fans generally imagine the life of tennis stars. But is it actually the same, better or worse? Cracking enormous myths about the off-screen life of lower-ranked tennis players, Taylor Townsend recently shook the internet with her revelations. While the debate started gathering immense attention on social media channels, a renowned journalist came forward in support.

Taylor Townsend recently uploaded a video in which she talked about the stress and difficulty of traveling to her next tournament after competing in Toronto. “I have to play at 5 o’clock tomorrow at Cincinnati,” Townsend said in a series of clips that depicted her overwhelmed situation. “It’s stressful trying to figure out how to get out of Toronto and how to get to Cincinnati. The only flight out of Toronto is like $1400 a person, and a layover, no matter what.”

This situation highlighted the financial challenges faced by players. Although top-ranked players can afford private transportation and rely on sponsorships to cover travel expenses, Townsend and other relatively lower-ranked athletes have to navigate these obstacles on their own.

The video eventually made it to the studios of the Tennis Channel where Jon Wertheim, a renowned journalist, spoke about the video and Townsend’s situation. “Some of this is just, you know, she’s sort of a victim of her own success. There were a lot of players who arrived from Canada into Cincinnati. No problem! You know why? Because they lost early,” Wertheim said, highlighting that it was on herself that she made it to the quarter-finals in Toronto.

“I’m not sure there’s an easy solution, right? I mean, there’s no team flight, there’s no team bus! It would be nice if a player like that in this position maybe got one of those qualifying slots automatically. Hey, If you’re playing well enough to get to the quarters of the previous tournament, we’re not going to make you qualify,” he added, suggesting a possible solution that the authorities could implement.

Taylor Townsend played her quarterfinal match in Toronto on Saturday, August 10th. Soon after facing a defeat against Emma Navarro, she decided to travel to Cincinnati for her next match, which was scheduled for August 12th. Despite the struggles of her road trip, she managed to secure a victory in the qualifying and therefore secured a slot in the main draw.

Although the issue has no relevant solution as of now, Wertheim’s decision to address it added more light to the drastic problem. However, it isn’t just Townsend who revealed the challenges behind navigating the scenes from a lower rank.

Tennis players reveal a numerical comparison of how much they earn vs spend

In an Instagram Q&A session earlier this year, several professional tennis players were seen talking about the financial challenges of playing tennis at a lower rank. Katy Dunne, who is ranked 352nd in the WTA, shared her struggles, “I’ve spent 10K and earned 7.” Alexander Donski, ranked 888th in the ATP, also revealed his digits. “I’ve made around 6000 this year and I spent around 20,” he said.

Ranked 507th in the WTA, Tefanie Lemaitre also opened up about her situation. She said, “I think I spent around 7 to 10 grand this year and I made maybe four or five, generously, I think.” When asked if she had a coach, she added, “Without a coach, it’s impossible to afford it.”

The statements recorded by these players showed fans the real struggles of trying to make it in professional tennis without being in the top ranks. As Taylor Townsend highlighted these issues further, there could be a possibility that someone from the authorities finally addresses the concern.