How much is a tennis coach paid and how do the world’s leading players hand out bonuses?
It is an area of the sport few outside of the tennis bubble get any insight on, so the comments from former British No 1 Greg Rusedski on the latest edition of his podcast made for fascinating viewing.
Rusedski, a former world No 4 who reached the US Open final in 1997, worked with French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on a brief trial that came to an end after Wimbledon in June and he has also worked with former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka.
As he responded to a question from Tennis365’s Kevin Palmer on the framework of payment for tennis coaching, Rusedski outlined a variety of ways that can be utilised.
“Well, there’s so many formulas,” he began. “Some coaches prefer to have a large set base. I was hearing Brad Gilbert (former coach of Andy Murray and Coco Gauff) talk about this and he said, I would only take a percentage of prize money, but he’s playing with the big boys or the biggest women’s tennis player in the world.
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“So every week they’re making probably, I don’t know, fifty, a hundred grand. So if you’re getting 10% of that, you’re fine. You know, and then the bonus is at the slams. So he would have had a high percentage of prize money, with expenses paid.
“The reality on the tour is usually there’s a base salary, depending on your level of expertise as an ex-player or as a coach. And then it can go from second round prize money between five and 10%, or it can be because you have a higher base, it might only be from quarters, semis, finals, or wins of tournaments.
“So there’s no set formula. It depends on how much the player wants you. So weekly fees can range from $2,000 a week to I’ve heard as much as $25k a week with bonuses. So the spectrum is huge depending on the coach you hire.
“Most coaches will have a set retainer and then bonuses as well and a guaranteed amount for the year.
“So there’s no set formula to how much a coach gets. And it’s all negotiated between agent, player, and coach. But the prize money nowadays is off the charts. I’ve been doing the tournament in Shanghai this week and looking at prize money. Guys with losing records like 15 and 23 on the tour are making $1.3 million. And the season’s not even over.”
Finding the right coach is a crucial element to any tennis players’ armoury and the value they can add to a team could be the difference between a player breaking into the top 20 of the game or even winning a major title.
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