Mackenzie McDonald knows that compared to most men her age, she is well off financially.
McDonald, a 31-year-old California-born professional tennis player, has earned more than $7 million in prize money in his 10 years on the ATP Tour. As of October 2023, he was ranked a career-best 37th in the world, but injuries and lackluster play have reduced his ranking to 125th.
Such a change in rankings is not just a blow to the ego of a professional athlete. With this comes greater financial challenges, leading to a struggle to find ways to generate enough income to continue participating in competitions and also maintain a comfortable lifestyle, the kind that will one day make retirement possible.
For the vast majority of professional athletes who are not top earners, it is a reality they struggle with, even as they continue to compete in tournaments and other events.
So far, McDonald’s earns above-average revenue. In 2025, he won $710,040 in prize money despite a 10-17 win-loss record in tour-level matches. But the competition (and expense) is exhausting. He lost in the first round at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
In total, between circuit and Challenger level events, McDonald played in 30 tournaments last season, including Australia, China and Kazakhstan.
He knows he is at the end of his career. So far this year, he is 2-4 in tour-level matches and has earned nearly $187,000. He says he plans to play another five years, but that could change at any time.
“I know I’ve done well,” McDonald said. “I’ve saved a lot of my money.” But he added: “I’m very conscious of my post-career life.”
That concern is not shared by all professional athletes. Unless they have mismanaged their money, top earners can stay for life. Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Major champion, has amassed nearly $200 million in career prize money, plus millions more in endorsements. Roger Federer, who retired in 2022, earned more than $130 million in prize money, while Rafael Nadal earned nearly $140 million before retiring in 2024. Federer became a billionaire last year thanks to his endorsement deals with Swiss running brand On and others.
In other sports, too, superstar athletes are historically well compensated for filling stadium seats and selling merchandise. Soccer sensation Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly earns around $200 million a year, and Major League Baseball pitcher Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers is worth $700 million. According to Forbes, basketball legend Michael Jordan’s net worth is $4.3 billion, while golfer Tiger Woods is worth $1.5 billion.
But for every Lionel Messi and Steph Curry, there are infinitely more Mackie McDonalds.
The lifespan of a professional tennis player is short. Many suffer career-ending injuries, physical exhaustion and exhaustion. Most quit the game before they turn 40.
And tennis, unlike team sports, is a pay-per-play sport. There is no team franchise that funds training, travel, hotels, meals, medical needs and equipment. Tennis players are responsible for paying for international travel not only for themselves, but for every coach, physical trainer, physical therapist and psychologist they hire. They also have to cover the costs of everything from racket assembly to financial planning.
The ATP, the tour’s governing body, offers benefits to its members, but they are biased toward the best. Through its OneVision strategic plan that began in 2023, the men’s tour will offer $21.5 million in year-end bonus money to the top 30 points accumulators at select events this season. Last year, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner topped the list. Both have already earned more than $60 million in prize money for their careers.
The ATP also has a pension plan under which the top 150 singles players and top 50 doubles teams received an additional $129,550 last year and the next 100 received $20,000. The tour’s Baseline initiative guarantees minimum payouts to its members, ensuring that someone ranked in the top 100 will win $300,000 even if their match results don’t guarantee it. Players ranked between 101 and 175, like McDonald, are guaranteed to win $200,000, a welcome, if likely short-lived, safety net.
That’s nowhere near the $1.3 million minimum paid to NBA players this season. Last year, the average salary in the NFL was approximately $3.2 million to $5.2 million.
In a phone interview in late March from Houston, where he was competing in an ATP tournament, McDonald discussed the financial aspects of his career. The interview has been edited and condensed.
You were a top junior and NCAA champion at UCLA before turning pro in 2016. You chose to move from California to live near the USTA headquarters in Florida. Was it because you could save money by using the facilities there?
That’s definitely part of it. I quickly learned the culture shock of professional tennis: you’re in your suitcase 40 weeks a year. And the USTA was willing to invest in me, give me a coach and strength training. He [lack of] Florida’s income tax was also excellent.
What were your goals when you turned professional?
I noted that I wanted to make it to the second week of Slams. [Wimbledon and the Australian, French and U.S. Opens]; I wanted to be in the top 50 in singles and doubles at the same time; I wanted to play the Davis Cup; and I wanted to play tournaments around the world. I did all that pretty quickly. I just haven’t won an ATP title and that’s something I’d like to leave my mark on the tour.
You have a pretty small team and only your trainer, your strength coach and your fiancee travel with you. Is this also a cost saving measure?
I feel like I’ve simplified it over the years. My coach is my fiancee’s father and he is a very good coach. I pay him when I’m traveling and also when we train at home.
What is an approximate figure for your annual expenses?
If you include the coach’s fees, the hotels, the plane tickets for my coach, myself and my team and the stringing, I would say $200,000.
How is being ranked 125th in the world different from ranking 37th financially?
It’s quite different. When you’re in the top 50, your checks and balances are good. Every week you are participating in bigger tournaments and winning money. At 125, if I don’t start competing and doing better, I’ll probably end up with $600,000 and that’s before taxes and expenses.
Do you receive any sponsorship money now?
I get a little bit from my racquet company, Yonex, and a little bit from K-Swiss, my clothing and footwear company. That’s all. I don’t get patch offers like I used to. When you’re in the top 50, you get deals off the court, too.
Do you have a timeline for retirement, given that guys are playing more than ever?
I could say I plan to play until I’m 35 and that’s a safe answer for you. Beyond that are all those variables, health, not being expelled from that level. I’m still sitting at 125. I have to get back there and be competitive. But I want to enjoy the rest of my career as a family and always working hard because I don’t know anything else.
Having $7 million in career winnings is still much better than what most people earn before the age of 31.
I believe this is the most generous compensation I will ever receive in my life. The thing is that for a tennis player the career is short and you don’t know to what extent it will be stable. I’m getting my [college] Bachelor’s degree and I’m preparing myself with some other things. But it’s a brutal lifestyle and you really need to have everything in order.
