101. OUT OF POCKET

Whilst the players at the top end of the pro tennis tour bask in the delights of the US OPEN in NYC, and the big pay checks, spare a thought for the lower level players grinding it out on the tour and not getting paid! Yes, you read that right, not getting paid!

Usually (speaking with respect to the women’s tours), the prize money earned by a player, is either paid in cash when they leave the tournament, or it comes through, via a Bank Transfer, about a week after the event has finished – as requested by the two pro tennis governing bodies, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). However, in some cases, for example, the recent WTA125 in Barranquilla, Colombia, this has not been the case and 4 weeks on, the players have still not been paid. Unacceptable when you consider that each player had to fork out a lot of money to get there to compete and to entertain those who bought tickets to watch.

Speaking with respect to my own player, she paid out over £1,600 just to get to the tournament. On top of that she had to pay for 3 nights accommodation (qualifiers had to pay for themselves) and food. So before the tournament had even started, she was already significantly down financially. Fast forward 3 weeks and an e mail from the WTA is received stating that:

“There has a been a delay in the Barranquilla prize money as we have not yet received the funds from the tournament. “

How can this possibly be? How can a venue/organisation be permitted to stage a pro tennis tournament when they clearly don’t have the funds available to pay the participants?

Now I know that many people in jobs don’t get paid until the end of the month, or thereabouts, but they are not paying out thousands each week for flights, accommodation, coaches fees, etc. The majority of players on the tennis pro tour live hand to mouth as the cost of competing is excessively large compared to the rewards at that level, so to not get paid within a week or so of earning the money, can cause significant cash flow problems. Surely a system must be put in place whereby a tournament cannot be staged unless the organisers can prove that they have the ‘cash in the bank’ to pay the players?

Just another little tale of ‘life on the tour’ from one who is living it with a player. #realitytennis

More on the financial aspects of life on the tennis tour can be found in the following blog:

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