Today we have learned the news in which it is said that Roland Garros will increase the prizes this year to a jackpot of almost 50 million euros, increasing the prize pool by 12.3%. prize money Over the previous year. Looking closely at the table and comparing it to 2022, one can see the difference round by round and see that this year’s winner of the Musketeers Cup will receive 2.3 million, receiving 100,000 more than last year, while the losers of They will give you 69,000 euros in the first round, 7,000 more than in the 2022 edition. More money, yes, but well distributed?
If we stop to talk only about percentage data, the winner “only” receives 4.3% more, while those who lose in the first round, more than 10%. Seen this way, it seems like a big increase for those tennis players who are eliminated at the first exchange, but when we see €7,000 on one side of the table and 100,000 on the other, things change. Really, who would need a bigger prize increase? The one who wins the tournament and already receives a brutal amount of money or the one who loses in the first round and can hardly generate income to survive?
Those in the Top 150 and below lose money
We celebrate the increase in prize money year after year in the Slams, but we continue to see a lot of inequality towards those with the lowest Ranking. It should be remembered that, although tennis is experiencing the most golden age in its history with the highest number of spectators and income, there are barely 150 tennis players around the world who earn a living from this sport. Those who fall below the Top 150 (approximately), lose money. Hard as it sounds.
More than 15 years ago, players like Federer or Djokovic, among others, worked hard so that the Slams, the biggest tournaments on the entire circuit, would increase their prize money. In 2006, to give an example, Roland Garros barely distributed 14 million in prizes. The winner of that year received 430,000 euros and the one who lost in the first round, only 16,300 euros. Things have changed remarkably, but while the winner receives 1.9 million euros more, those who lose only 53,000 more euros at the first exchange.
It is said that the Slams make a total income of more than 300 million euros a year. Distributing 50 million to the players, they give only 16.6% to the true protagonists of everything. Because we must not forget that, without tennis players, there would be no show. There would be nothing. It is likely that these tournaments can be pushed a lot more to distribute more money, especially those in the early rounds. These tournaments are what they are thanks to the tables of 128 tennis players. If it were only 10, it wouldn’t have the same value.
Making tennis profitable for more people
If we want to be healthy as a sport in the long term and that children continue to hold a racket in front of a soccer ball, for example, we must work on improving the conditions of the circuit. It is illogical and out of all sense that the 151 in the world in tennis loses money and that the 151 in the world in soccer adds seven figures a year.
At least, the four Grand Slams should distribute 100,000 euros to the losers of that first round and almost double to those of the second. In this way, there would be dozens of tennis players who would have the year solved simply by playing the tournament, much more if they advanced one or two more rounds. The difference is there, not really that much in the winner. Roger Federer already exposed it a few years ago. “Really, the winners do not need that much money (the winners). The prize money should be increased to those of the first rounds”, commented the Swiss. In this way, with this current increase, those who do not have any problems continue to gain weight, while those who have been suffering from it for a long time are “satisfied” a little more. A couple of more breadcrumbs so they don’t complain and continue as before.
A lot of work has been done in the last 15 years, but there is still a lot to do. Because being number 1 in a Ranking of 2000 tennis players is very good, but being number 1 in a Ranking of just 150 players, things change enormously.
Roland Garros announces that for this year, they will distribute almost €50M in prizes (13% increase).
1R losers will earn 69K compared to 62K last year (+7K).
The winner will go from 2.2M to 2.3M (+100K).
This is the complete table and the comparison with 2022. pic.twitter.com/fPGvulv0QP
— José Morón (@jmgmoron) May 12, 2023
2023-05-12 12:56:50
#Grand #Slams #prize #money #distributed
