The winners of Wimbledon this year will walk away with £3mn each. But down the pecking order, for players outside the top 100, just breaking even each week can be a challenge.
Japanese player Taro Daniel is hovering around the 150 mark, and has experienced the highs and lows of life on the tennis tour over the past decade. In 2022, he had the standout win of his career beating Andy Murray to reach the third round at the Australian Open, pocketing nearly $150,000 for a week’s work. But he has also spent time scrimping and saving.
Like many players at his level, Daniel spent years sharing hotel rooms, losing money each week, and missing out on the (relatively expensive) nutritious meals that athletes need. “When I was younger, I even wouldn’t get the avocado on my Chipotle order because it’s like three dollars more. When you try to save too much it ends up impacting people’s games negatively,” he says.
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