Windfall for Hüsler and In-Albon
Swiss newcomers crack the Wimbledon jackpot
Marc-Andrea Hüsler, Ylena In-Albon and Alexander Ritschard make their major debuts in Wimbledon – and thus also an unusually high payday.
Published: 1:54 p.m
|
Updated: 1:55 p.m
Three Swiss tennis pros will make their Grand Slam debuts on Monday and Tuesday. For Ylena In-Albon (23), Marc-Andrea Hüsler (26) and Alexander Ritschard (28) it also means a decent amount of prize money. Wimbledon pays out CHF 59,000 for participation in the first round. Jackpot for the newcomers!
A year ago, In-Albon won the Klosters ITF tournament. The sand tournament was endowed with 23,000 francs. With her first game in Wimbledon, the Valais woman will now earn far more than twice as much. The prize money earned so far from 2022 (64,000 francs) has suddenly almost doubled.
“Pretty badass”
“It’s pretty awesome. I’m not used to that at all,” says In-Albon before the start of the tournament. So far she has earned rather modest prize money because she has denied smaller tournaments. “And now suddenly something like this.”
In-Albon is currently ranked 113th in the world. If her form curve continues to rise, she can hope for regular participation in majors. A goal that Hüsler (ATP 105) is also pursuing. “Hopefully it won’t be the last time, because in the end you want to be able to make a living from it.”
The Zurich native is not used to such sums either. The juicy payday was already buzzing around in the back of my mind during the qualification. “Of course, that’s another tension when you know you’re playing for so much money.” Don’t let that deter you.
Not always summer, sun, sunshine
The Grand Slams are known for making big money in tennis. For the players, for whom a major participation is still an exception, it is not always summer, sun and sunshine. “There are enough weeks in the year when you earn less – sometimes even years. When you start out as a pro, you really have to go down for the first two or three years. During this time you just have to invest and hope that it pays off in the long term.»
Especially at the beginning of the professional years you are dependent on sponsors, the team is kept as cheap as possible. With success comes more opportunities. This is also the case with Hüsler. «Since April I have had a coach who always accompanies me. These are also constant financial burdens. The better you get, the more you have to invest to get even better.” The best examples are the top stars of the tennis world, who each travel with several coaches, physios and, in some cases, doctors. Hüsler: “It’s a different planet.”