Salary
Average Salary: $400,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $6,000,000
It's a story of the haves and the have-nots. Unfortunately, just about everyone is a have-not.
If you're Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer or your last name happens to be Williams, you're set. You're raking in tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars every tournament, and you've got endorsement deals up the wazoo. (Quite honestly, with as much as they make from their sponsorships, it probably feels like they're playing tennis for little more than bragging rights.) The top pros make millions—if not tens of millions—every year, all things considered. It's good to be the king.
Now for the king's subjects.
The vast majority of pro tennis players, even those ranked between twenty-fifth and hundredth in the world, barely make enough to cover expenses and eke out a decent living. Keep in mind that they're jetting around the world, and no one's picking up that tab for them.
Costs for travel and accommodations can run you around $30,000-$40,000 a year, so you'd better be going deep in tournaments, and often. The IRS will take their piece and even racket-stringing expenses and other equipment costs will run you thousands. Plus you'll need to pay your coach, your trainer, your masseuse...to be honest, you really need to collect $200,000 or more in prize money annually to scrape by (source).
To help offset this rough risk-reward scenario, there are pensions offered to the top 125 singles players and top forty doubles players in the world. For everyone ranked lower, best of luck to you.
Once your best days are behind you, you can always teach. Thirty dollars an hour per student at the local tennis club (source). Hey, don't think of yourself as a has-been. Think of yourself as an almost-was.