[culebron21]

To be correct, even the worlds top 50th best tennis player makes $0 (read from couple interviews back in the '00s), it's mostly their family that pays. Below top 20, sponsors may cover part of costs.

Like other sports, it's fun enough that many play it for free at local tournaments, and some families can afford pay expensive flights and stay abroad.

I recall meeting with sportsmen and travellers who do months-long trips across continents. Half of them were pensioneers and just one single guy was a 34-yo die-hard traveller riding a bike across Eurasia for its own sake. Others were professionals, and they'd say they'd been preparing the travel for 2 years, seeking sponsors -- some in equipment, some in money, -- and signing contracts and clarifying sponsorship activity details -- photos here, report and booklet there, etc.

This contrasted a lot with our IT industry "let's do it for fun or learning" spirit.