For most tennis fans, reaching the world’s top 150 would be a huge achievement. It takes years of training, thousands of hours on court, and the ability to compete with some of the world’s best players. However, even a high ranking does not always give a tennis player financial security.

Japanese tennis player Taro Daniel knows this problem well. He once ranked No. 58 in the world and defeated Andy Murray at the 2022 Australian Open. Daniel has seen both the rewards of big wins and the financial problems players face outside the top level. In 2025, he said that he had earned around $180,000 in prize money during the first six months of the year. However, taxes, travel and team costs quickly reduced his earnings.

“My credit card statement, it’s at least $20,000 a month on just operational expenses of hotel, food, flights,” Daniel said to the Financial Times.  

He added that this amount did not include the salaries he paid to his team. He described a professional tennis player as “a small company” because players and their teams travel from one place to another throughout the season.

His experience shows a major problem in professional tennis. A player can rank among the world’s best and still struggle to earn enough money to support a professional career. While the biggest stars earn millions, players outside the top 100 often face a different challenge. They must spend money to keep playing and improve their rankings before they can earn enough to make their careers financially secure.

Prize money is one of the main ways people measure a tennis player’s success. However, it does not show how much money a player actually keeps. Every tournament can bring new expenses, and players often need support from coaches and other staff to perform at their best.

Players must pay for flights, hotels, local transport, food, equipment, coaching, fitness training, and physiotherapy. Taxes also reduce their earnings because they compete in different countries with different tax rules. Some tournaments provide hotel rooms for players, but they may not cover the costs of their coaches or physiotherapists.

Daniel explained how expensive travel can become. In the same interview with FT, he said that a flight from Indian Wells to the Miami Open could cost at least $500. If a player travels with a coach and physiotherapist, the total cost can rise further. Players also carry extra bags for their rackets and other equipment. As a result, a one-way domestic trip could cost around $2,000.

Coaching is another major expense. Daniel estimated that a travelling coach at his level could earn at least $50,000 a year. The coach could also receive around 10% of the player’s prize money. Daniel estimated that hiring a basic-level coach could cost around $100,000 a year in total.

These figures show why earning six figures in prize money does not mean a player can keep that amount.

Consider Daniel’s reported earnings of $180,000 over six months. If his monthly operating expenses stayed at $20,000, he would spend $120,000 over the same period. That would leave him with only $60,000 before paying other team members, including his coach, and covering any additional expenses or taxes not already included in those figures.

This example uses Daniel’s reported numbers. It does not show his complete financial records. However, it explains how quickly a large amount of prize money can disappear.

The problem can become even worse for players ranked lower down. In a 2025 interview with The Guardian, former World No. 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili said he had earned $63,183 in prize money during his 2024 comeback from an elbow injury. After paying travel and coaching costs, he reported a net loss of around $120,000.

Players returning from injuries face a serious financial risk. They must spend money to recover and improve their rankings, but they cannot be sure how well they will perform or how much prize money they will earn.

The Ranking Trap: Spending Money to Earn Money

Professional tennis creates a difficult situation for players who want to reach the top. They need money to travel, train, and hire coaches. However, they often need a better ranking to earn enough money to cover these costs.

Players outside the top 100 may have to compete regularly on the ATP Challenger Tour, which is the second level of men’s professional tennis. These tournaments help players earn ranking points, but the prize money can be much lower than the rewards available at ATP Tour events.

In a 2025 report about life outside the top level, The Guardian also spoke about Cristian Garín’s struggles after a wrist injury affected his career. The former World No. 17 had reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2022. However, by January 2023, his ranking had dropped to No. 82.

Garín explained that even winning around 30 matches might not be enough for a player to reach the top 100. He also discussed the difficult conditions at this level and the challenge of staying motivated.

“Sometimes I get very upset because you go a long way to win 30 matches and you’re still outside the top 100. It’s way too much,” Garín explained, as reported by The Guardian.  

The ranking system adds more pressure. Tennis rankings depend on results from a rolling 52-week period. This means players must keep earning points to protect their positions. A strong run can help a player enter bigger tournaments, but an injury or a poor run of results can quickly push them down the rankings.

A lack of money can make this challenge even harder. Players who cannot afford a travelling coach, physiotherapist or regular flights may have to make difficult choices. These choices can affect their preparation, fitness and recovery. Some players may even skip tournaments because the prize money on offer does not justify the cost of travelling and competing.

Sports psychologist Kevin Clancy told The Guardian that life on the Challenger Tour often becomes a fight for survival. Players must keep performing to earn points and money. Some even share motel rooms or sleep on floors to save money.

“It’s roughly about 20% of the time that you’re on court and hitting the ball, so there’s 80% of the time where you’re doing a lot of thinking,” Clancy told The Guardian. 

“Tennis is a sport that mentally could beat you up really, really badly. For players at Challenger level, it’s about survival,” Clancy continued. 

This creates a difficult cycle. Players need good results to earn more money, but financial problems can make it harder for them to produce those results.

The financial problems faced by lower-ranked players become clearer when we compare their earnings with those of the biggest stars.

According to the ATP’s report on the 2025 season, a record 88 players earned more than $1 million in on-court earnings. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz led the list with $21.3 million.

These numbers show that player earnings have grown. However, they can also give fans the wrong idea that every professional tennis player earns enough money to live comfortably.

Grand Slams offer some of the biggest prize money in tennis. However, not every professional player can enter these tournaments directly. Players who must compete in qualifying rounds face more uncertainty than established stars who regularly reach the main draw.

Reaching a Grand Slam main draw can bring valuable prize money, but players cannot take that opportunity for granted. Even when they earn money at a major tournament, they must consider their travel, coaching, taxes and other expenses throughout the season.

Daniel told the Financial Times that beating famous players such as Murray and Novak Djokovic helped him attract sponsors. In comparison, winning several Challenger titles may not bring the same attention from brands or casual tennis fans.

This difference can have a major effect on a player’s finances. Top stars can earn money from sponsorships and other business deals in addition to their prize money. Lower-ranked players may depend much more on their results at tournaments to pay their bills.

The biggest financial gap in tennis is not simply between players who win and those who lose. It is between players who can turn their success on the court into long-term financial security and those who must keep spending money just to continue playing.