“Tennis is broken. Behind the glamorous veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent,” said Ahmad Nassar, director of the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA, as the organization filed a lawsuit in March against the ATP, WTA, ITIA, and ITF over pay disparity. And that statement couldn’t ring more true today. While the spotlight shines on GS winners hoisting trophies and cashing massive checks, life on the lower rungs of the rankings paints a grimmer picture. However, now, Japanese pro Taro Daniel recently opened up about his $20,000 financial struggle, echoing the powerful stance taken by Coco Gauff and Djokovic months ago, demanding equality in a sport built on imbalance.
Japanese tennis pro Taro Daniel, currently hovering around the 150th rank in the ATP rankings, has ridden the rollercoaster of the pro circuit for over a decade. From career highs like his 2022 victory over British GOAT Andy Murray at the AO, which earned him nearly $150,000 in a single week, to times of financial uncertainty, Daniel’s journey speaks volumes about life beyond the tennis spotlight.
So far, in 2025, Daniel has pulled in $180,000 in prize money, but according to him, that’s barely enough to stay afloat. “My credit card statement, it’s at least $20,000 a month on just operational expenses of hotel, food, flights, and not including the salaries I pay to my team,” he recently revealed. “As a tennis player, you’re like a small company, but having all your employees traveling all the time.” The costs pile up quickly, and for players outside the top tier, the dream begins to look more like a financial trap.
But Daniel isn’t just venting. The Japanese ace is proposing solutions, too. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, the 31-year-old suggested a universal stipend for players ranked between 300 and 400. “The Grand Slams gross like $350 million to $500 million a year. I think the solution would be for every player up to 300 or 400 in the rankings to be given a $100,000 stipend, divided by the Slams and the ATP or WTA. It would be $8 million from each organization—that’s not unreasonable.”
Daniel also highlighted an often-overlooked advantage of Top-ranked stars: access to elite-level recovery and preparation support. “If you’re lower ranked, you’re winging it,” he said, noting how players in the top 20 can afford physiotherapists, nutritionists, and full-time coaching staff, luxuries that help extend careers and sharpen competitive edges.
Taro Daniel JPN, APRIL 21, 2025 – Tennis : Taro Daniel during singles qualifying 1st round match against Royer on the ATP, Tennis Herren tour Masters 1000 tournaments Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain. Noxthirdxpartyxsales PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxJPN 288332283
The issue reached a boiling point earlier this year during the US hard-court swing as well. French publication L’ÉQUIPE reported that the top 20 male and female players collectively signed and sent a letter to the GS organizers, demanding a major prize money overhaul. Their benchmark? For example, professional leagues like the NBA, where athletes split 50% of the total revenue.
Compare that to tennis: Roland Garros last year earned an estimated $371 million. Yet, the total prize pool sat at just $58.7 million, less than 16% of the revenue. A stark and troubling disparity! Isn’t it?
Backed by stars like Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic, the call for change is growing louder. “If you want to compare it to other sports, then yes, but if you want to compare it to other things in life, I’m not going to sit here and complain,” Gauff said previously. “There’s a whole other thing when it comes to visibility and things like that we can also improve on,”
The struggle isn’t just for the lesser-known names either. Even GS champions like Gauff have shared how sponsorships and prize money don’t always add up to the glamorous lifestyle that tennis portrays.
Coco Gauff’s $2.9M French Open payday faces shocking financial twist
The French Open may have upped its total prize purse recently to a record $63.7 million, a 5.21% hike from last year, but even that couldn’t spare Coco Gauff, the crowned queen, from a harsh financial sting. Despite clinching the women’s singles title and a $2.9 million winner’s check, the American will see nearly half of that vanish, thanks to France’s punishing 45% tax bracket on income over €180,648. Forbes and OFS Wealth’s tax director, Sean Packard, estimate her winnings will be approximately $1.6 million after taxes, with a significant $1.32 million going to the French government.
But the financial hit doesn’t stop there. Packard noted that Coco may also be liable for additional levies, including US self-employment tax and a Medicare surcharge. Fortunately, thanks to American tax laws, she’ll likely receive a tax credit to avoid being taxed twice on the same income, a small silver lining in an otherwise heavy deduction.
The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the men’s champion in Paris, faces a similar fate. Not only will he be taxed at France’s 45% rate, but he’ll also face Spain’s 47% rate on foreign income. However, like the WTA champ, he too will receive a tax credit, bringing his total effective tax rate to around 47%, meaning he’ll take home about $1.38 million of his $2.9 million prize.
Above all, this financial twist highlights a troubling reality in tennis: even the sport’s biggest winners walk away with a fraction of their earnings. From significantly lower-ranked players scraping by to champions navigating heavy tax burdens, the system continues to raise hard questions, and hopes for reform remain uncertain.
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