If you're paying for travel, food, everyone's salaries, and then you lose in the first round…" Tsonga explains the difference between tennis and other sports
The economic challenges in the tennis world are often highlighted by players. While the prize money announced for tournaments may seem substantial, many additional costs are not covered, as Tsonga explained on Kevin Ferreira’s podcast:
"I always say that in tennis, when you lose, you really lose. In other sports, you don’t lose anything—you just don’t win. It’s not the same. In tennis, you pay for everything. Tomorrow, if you go to Wimbledon, you bring a team of five people, you pay for the hotel, travel, food, everyone’s salaries all week, and then you lose in the first round.
It’s not that you didn’t win—it’s that you lost money. You didn’t make zero euros; you actually lost money. Tomorrow, if you’re a soccer player, you’re employed by your club. You lose, but you still get paid. Tomorrow, if you’re an NBA player, you can’t even get relegated—you’re still getting paid.
With all the history, background and experience in the business world, why can't someone come up with a business model for tennis that generates enough revenue for most of the best players in the world, ... maybe the top 200? ... or top 100? ... to have a base salary. If it's going to be modeled after other sports, then a model that includes tennis teams is likely. The sponsors are in business to make money and they'll find a way to adjust to the team concept. And it's got to be something more appealing than the Davis Cup format. Of course some of the top players who end up with all the cash might not go for the team concept as they would have to share winnings with other team members.