Bottom Dollar

Talk of prize money at the Australian Open gets lost in translation, as players take home much less than it might appear.

MELBOURNE, Australia — A video which went minorly viral within tennis circles this week involved an Australian Open presenter telling Eva Lys, the 23-year-old German who became the first lucky loser to make the fourth round of women’s singles at the Australian Open since 1988, what her earnings would be for her run here.

“Four hundred and twenty grand!” tournament presenter Lachlan Wills tells Lys, causing her jaw to drop.

“Did you not know that?” Wills asks, seeing Lys’ shock. “Aw shit, were we rolling?”

“That is insane,” Lys says. “That is a number I have never even heard in my life.”

At first blush, that total might have sounded to Lys like more than half of her career earnings: the WTA lists Lys’ career prize money before this event at $798,163.

But here comes the womp-womp from Wombatland: like nearly every other prize money total at this Australian Open, the amount Lys sees will look nothing like “420,000” when it finally appears in her bank account.

In the topic’s spirit of nothing worthwhile coming for free in this life, please continue on past the paywall below to see how much Lys and all other Australian Open competitors will *actually* take home from their prize money checks. Thanks for investing in tennis journalism! -Ben