Tennis Prize Money Is Taxed

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Coco Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open Ladies Single's title.

The 2024 U.S. Open is here. I won’t be in New York to watch premium tennis, for reasons best known to my wallet. Plan B is vintage stores to hunt for that old school desk calculator accountants used to tally up our tax returns, many moons ago.

Why? I want to punch in numbers because the U.S. Open and all major tennis tournaments for that matter, are big money for players. Sure, they play for the game, for the experience, for the Hall of Fame but let’s get real. They serve, lob and backhand for the dollars. Once I find that vintage desk calculator, I will punch in the prize money for:

Men’s singles winner

Ladies’ singles winner

Ladies’ doubles winners

Men’s doubles winners

Mixed doubles winners

But, I will get stuck at the taxes. The prize money is before tax. The phrase ‘after tax’ means the government in its benevolence, has grabbed its share. It doesn’t ask for permission. It grabs. Let’s take  Emma Raducana, who won the U.S. Open Ladies Singles title in 2021,  for example. Was she be taxed by the U.S. and U.K.? How about the exchange rate?

My head is spinning. Players are from all over the world so I must convert many currencies: dollars, ruble, euro, pesos, leu, pounds etc. To cool off, I’m off to vintage shops to look for the arrogant desk calculator. No, digital won’t do.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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