Even as a former world No. 1 and a six-time Grand Slam champion at just 24 years of age, Iga Swiatek’s hunger continues to grow. On Monday, she lifted her 24th WTA title, her first in Cincinnati, by besting Italy’s Jasmine Paolini with a commanding 7-5, 6-4 scoreline. Of course, what made the victory even sweeter was the massive prize money of $752,275. That’s one more reason to be thankful to her team for forcing her to work on her game on faster courts. But then again, while she will get to take home all the glory her efforts yielded, only a part of her hard-earned prize money will make its way to her.
Remember how the Pole saw a massive tax slashing down her near $4.05 million Wimbledon prize money to around $2.5 million last month? She had to pay 20 percent in direct taxes alongside additional deductions. Eventually, she had to lose about 45 percent of the prize money from the original amount. Not a good way to celebrate your maiden triumph on grass, right? Seems like she’s not getting any relief after her first-ever Cincinnati win either.
For the uninitiated, any foreign player who clinches a tournament in the United States is subject to paying a flat 30 percent tax on the winning amount, as reported by Edge Financial. In short, Swiatek will eventually lose $225,683 from the original prize money of $752,275. That will bring the figure down to $526,592. Still decent, right? But wait…
Source: Instagram/Iga Swiatek
The misery isn’t over just yet. If you factor in other additional cuts, then the final amount left is even less. Since the Cincinnati Open took place in Ohio, United States, the state-level ‘jock tax’ (Ohio) may apply in Swiatek’s situation. This can further deduct the prize money to 40-50 percent of the original figure, bringing the final amount to somewhere around $376,140 to $451,140. But while Swiatek’s reaction to this potential slash in prize money is yet to surface, she did make her feelings clear on winning the Masters 1000 event.
Iga Swiatek fails to believe she’s a Cincinnati champion and here’s why
After she captured her maiden Wimbledon trophy last month, it was a surreal feeling for Iga Swiatek. Why? Well, prior to this season, her record at the grass major was poor to say the least. She wasn’t even able to reach the semis, let alone enter the finals. Her best campaign came when she made it to the last eight two years ago.
However, this season proved to be extremely different as she went on to show a dominant performance at the All England Club. Although she captured Venus Rosewater Dish with a double bagel (in just 57 minutes) against America’s Amanda Anisimova, Swiatek was still in shock after emerging as the champion. “Being Wimbledon champion sounds amazing and pretty surreal. I’m appreciating every minute. I’m proud of myself because who would have expected that?”, she confessed. “Tennis keeps surprising me and I keep surprising myself,”
Explaining her point, she continued, “The fact it’s on grass, this makes it even more special and more unexpected, so the emotions are bigger. At Roland-Garros, I know I can play well,” A similar reaction came after Swiatek won the Cincinnati Open on Monday. During the presentation ceremony, she admitted, “I don’t know why I won tournaments that were like the last ones in terms of where I thought I would be playing well. …I’m shocked and super happy. Thank you for the constant support to my team and my family back home.”
Heavy taxes or not, Swiatek will be traveling to New York in an incredible run of form. And who knows? Maybe another Slam could be on its way toward her.
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