Andrey Rublev says that he can’t afford an apartment. Rublev’s comments raised a lot of eyebrows because he has earned millions as a top tennis player.

Rublev ranked 8th in the world, has earned almost $8 million in prize money. On top of that, Rublev has income from endorsements.

In 2020 I had to pay my team members for five months without competing due to Covid. Luckily I did not have to pay any air flight ticket. I still earned money, but tennis is a very costly sport.

– Andrey Rublev

It was not clear if Rublev’s comments were about a particular location. Though Rublev is from Russia, like a lot of tennis players, he has a residence in Monaco for tax reasons.

Even a  small studio can easily run over $1 million in Monaco. Properties in Moscow can be cheaper than those in Monaco.

Andrey Rublev’s comments raise a broader question about how expensive tennis is even for a top professional.  Rublev said that it costs him $600,000 per year to train and travel to tournaments. This includes payments to physios, tennis coaches, and his staff.

Tennis players don’t take home all the prize money they make. In most cases, they have to pay taxes in the host country. There may be additional taxes in their country of residence if that country does not have a tax treaty with the country where the prize money was earned.

Other tennis players such as Gael Monfils and Alexander Zverev have discussed how hard the finances can be for even the top pros in the sport.