'When I was younger and still amateur, I couldn’t accept prize money' - Andy Roddick sheds light on details behind prize money in tennis

How quickly do players receive prize money?

Roddick was asked a question about money, specifically how quickly players see their winnings land in their bank account.

"You don’t get paid round by round. That would be a nightmare for tournaments. You get paid at the end of the event. Back in the day you could even request a check from an on-site bank — I doubt that’s an option anymore. These days it’s usually direct deposit, or it might go through your agency if you have that arrangement. The Happy Gilmore-style giant checks you see in trophy photos? Not real. Sometimes they hand you an empty envelope for show. So yeah, no one’s lugging giant checks through airports.

"As for timing, it’s usually quick. If you lose third round on a Saturday, you’re not waiting 30 days — more like the next business day or two. Tennis knows that for many players, it’s life-changing money. You might need it immediately to cover travel to the next event. When I was younger and still amateur, I couldn’t accept prize money — but I could keep receipts and get reimbursed. So if I won a doubles match, I couldn’t take the $7,000, but I could rip receipts for travel and meals. At 17, that felt like a million dollars."

Tennis can be an expensive sport for many players. Travel, coaching, and accommodation costs rack up as the players attempt to rise up the rankings, with multiple stars coming out about their troubles with money. Roddick was asked about this, and gave an insight on the workings behind the scenes with coaches and staff, especially when money is tight.

"That’s all individual deals. If you can’t afford a salary, you might work something out where a coach is incentivized — like they get a percentage of prize money or bonuses for certain results," he said. "Federations or sponsors sometimes help cover costs. For me, my coaches had a base salary plus incentives. Winning a 250 probably wasn’t worth a bonus if I was ranked No. 3 in the world, but a Slam final or a Masters 1000 win definitely was. I wanted everyone around me to feel the upside when I had a big run. Payment schedules varied — monthly, quarterly — whatever worked for that coach."

Best volleyers of all time

"On the women’s side, you’re going to get Martina Navratilova more often than not," Roddick said. "She’s the first name that comes to mind. But I also think of Gigi Fernández — I was watching her do clinics at the Hall of Fame last month, and she’s still amazing to watch. Lisa Raymond was another incredible doubles player. Jessica Pegula is really good now with her racket control. Taylor Townsend and Sara Errani are fantastic too.

"On the men’s side, the first name that pops up is John McEnroe — his feel, creativity, artistry, how he floated the ball, how he varied the pace. Then you have Stefan Edberg with those crisp, classic volleys. Patrick Rafter too. These guys were all 12-out-of-10 athletes — movers, covering spots so quickly. Lleyton Hewitt doesn’t get enough credit — unbelievable volleyer, and of course one of the greatest movers. Rafael Nadal too, underrated at the net. Pete Sampras was incredible. If you had him just doing volley drills, he would have been great already — but when you add in his athleticism, his bursts to the net, his ability to create power off power, it changed everything. You couldn’t lob him; you had to hit such a perfect lob to get it over Sampras."

Volleying is a key skill in tennis. Not utilised as much as it once was, you can give your game a lot of variation and become less predictable, especially if you are clinical at the net. Whilst Roddick was not known for his volleying skills, he still boasts the knowledge to become a danger at the net.

"To be a great volleyer, you can’t be slow. You need tennis IQ, quick decision-making, speed. It’s not just about crisping a volley; it’s about closing space, covering ground, shrinking the court. If you’re talking all-time, on the women’s side it’s Navratilova. On the men’s side, there are ten names you could throw out and no one would be mad: McEnroe, Edberg, Rafter, Henman, Sampras… Roger Federer too — he’s good at everything."