Czech tennis player revealed that Carlos Alcaraz “did not get half” of his US Open Prize money.
According to Mirror, the Spanish superstar triumphed over Italian rival Jannik Sinner to clinch his second US Open crown last September.
In the process, he pocketed what was widely reported as the biggest cheque in tennis history at a whopping £3.7million ($5m). Aryna Sabalenka claimed the same amount for her women's singles victory at Flushing Meadows.
However, world No. 20 Karolina Muchova has lifted the lid on the reality behind those headline-grabbing figures. She suggested the 22-year-old's actual take-home figure was far less substantial.
Speaking to Forbes, the Czech player revealed, “In New York, where Carlos Alcaraz won that amount this year, he won't even get half of it. You pay taxes in America and at home, so no one will actually see the amount we're talking about.”
Muchova was also asked whether she agreed that players should receive a larger share of the profits at Grand Slam tournaments, given the BBC’s report that they only got between 12.5% and 20% of total tournament revenue last year.
She continued, “I agree. Tournaments are getting longer, with almost all Grand Slam tournaments now starting on Sunday, which means an extra day of revenue for them.”
When Alcaraz clinched his victory, it was revealed that a significant portion of the world No. 1's prize money would be handed over to the US taxman. That is due to athletes being subject to local tax laws in the regions where they earn their income.
Alcara fell into the top bracket of federal income tax in the United States. With his earnings exceeding the upper limit of $609,351, he faced a federal income tax rate of 37%.
