How much does Philippine tennis player Alex Eala need to earn to keep playing professionally?

With hundreds of players in its ranks, the WTA barely pays lower-ranking pro athletes enough, and Alex Eala’s breakthrough at the Miami Open means she’s risen significantly in the pay scale. However, in order to continue making that much money, she must maintain her current level of consistency.

Manila – Alex Eala, a 19-year-old Filipino tennis star, made it to the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open, her highest result ever.

Not only is it the best she’s done (and we’re sure she’ll do much better in the future), but that result alone has won the No. 72-ranked Eala a purse of $332,160, which is roughly P19 million in local currency—a significant sum for sure. That reward alone represents more than half of her overall victories in her previous career, which was $498,901, or around P28 million.

To say the sum is life-changing would be an understatement; nevertheless, in the world of professional sports and all that must be done and purchased to continue a pro career, it is only a drop in the bucket.

Playing for Scraps

According to Business Insider, lower-ranking professional athletes must pay for their own equipment, training facilities, travel, lodging, and meals to participate in tournaments that might raise their reputations. Many people would spend thousands of dollars and end up losing a lot of money, with top winners receiving as low as $25,000 (about P1.4 million).

As the athlete’s rankings rise and the pressure increases, they will need to hire more dedicated tennis and strength and conditioning coaches, a physical therapist, a nutritionist, and a sports psychologist, to name a few.

A tennis teacher on Quora provided the following breakdown of a year’s costs for a Top 50 tennis pro (Eala is now ranked 72).

Travel at the top levels of play might cost anything between $50,000 and $150,000 (P2.84 million to P8.52 million) each year. There is a lot of travel involved, particularly to popular places throughout the globe. Coming from the Philippines makes this problem much more difficult for Eala.

Food may cost at least $5,000 a year. That’s around P283,915, and if Eala takes additional people with her, she’ll have to pay for their meals as well.

Coaching is determined by the player’s rank, and coaches often receive commissions based on the success of their players. A average coach might get an additional $50,000 per year in salary and bonuses—all paid for by the players.

Racket stringing and customisation may cost anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000 (P2.27 million) annually. This effectively ensures that the player’s gear is in excellent playing condition.

Other miscellaneous costs might be anything.

Overall, yearly costs range between $100,000 and $2 million (about P5.68 million to P113.53 million). That demonstrates how ridiculous it is to be a top prospect, and explains why we only have one Alex Eala right now.

Eala would most likely have already spent on all or most of things, and the P19 million bag will enable her to continue paying for her local support for a year or so. She has not rested on her laurels following the spectacular Miami Open result, and is already turning heads at her next tournaments—currently at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she is gearing up for a rematch against former world number one Iga Swiatek, whom she defeated in Miami.

With hundreds of players in its ranks, the Women’s Tennis Association barely pays lower-level pro athletes enough, and Eala’s success in the Miami Open means she’s risen quickly up the wage scale. However, in order to continue making that much money, she must maintain her current level of consistency. More companies will most likely (hopefully) take note and join the train before waiting for a top spot.

This old tune again.

We don’t need to emphasise how crucial financial assistance is for our aspiring athletes. Far too often, the Philippine system considers aspirants as persons who must show themselves worthy of support—in the same way that our blue chippers must succeed despite a lack of support—rather than as potential that must first be developed before we can anticipate great victories from them. Being a Filipino athlete may be a challenging experience.

Eala is fortunate to have come from a background that has allowed her to reach the pro level from the ground up; we do not fault her for this, but many other athletes in the Philippines are not as fortunate. At the same time, this is a drum we’ve been beating for so long: every time a Filipino athlete overcomes the pathetic lack of support provided to any sport other than men’s basketball.

I’m not sure what more to say, who else needs to win on a global scale, or how many more Olympic medals must be won before the people with the money take action.

People would much sooner snap opportunistic photographs with the victors than offer their influence to the grassroots. Still, I look forward to the ascent of Eala and others like her because, despite our huge successes on the global arena, I think Filipinos can do it.

It is only a matter of time until the system begins to believe in us as well.