"The self entitlement of some players who don't appreciate the value of money" - Tennis fans slam Opelka for complaining about less prize money
ATP
Reilly Opelka is one of the most outspoken tennis players on the tour and never shies away from voicing his opinions, even if they might be unpopular at times.
The American recently raised concerns about lower prize money at the Japan Open, compared to what it was in 2018. It was an all-American final on Sunday between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe for the ATP 500 tournament and Fritz managed to prevail 7-6(3) 7-6(2) in just under two hours, winning his third singles title of the season.
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However, out with an injury currently, the 25-year-old Opelka took to social media to express his displeasure that the prize money was less than four years ago.
"So let me get this straight. My boys battle it out today in the final of Tokyo in front of a packed house, one of the biggest events on @atptour and they are playing for LESS $ than the guys in 2018?" Opelka wrote.
Angered by Opelka's tweets, tennis followers immediately started calling him out for complaining, even after the overall prize money for the tournament had increased from 2018. Fans also advised him to look at how little the women players were earning relative to the men.
"I’m sorry but I’m never going to feel sorry for someone making 200K/365K for one weeks worth of work when there are teachers, nurses, and people who literally keep our society afloat that are struggling to put food on the table. Like have some fucking perspective," a fan tweeted.
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"This is a poor look for the game. The self entitlement of some players who don't appreciate the value of money. Moaning about earning only $360k for a week's work," a user wrote.
"They both won more than 300k USD, think they'll do just fine with that, meanwhile early exits got much more than in 2019, rightfully so, as they were insanely underpaid, meanwhile the winners already got more than enough," another tweet read.
"They are paying 93k in the WTA tournament right now. Talk about that too." a fan responded.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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