Roger Federer has five to ten people with him on Tour, says Mathieu
In an interview to GQ Paul-Henri Mathieu commented on Roger Federer's longevity. They are aged the same, but Mathieu retired from tennis in 2017 while the Swiss keeps being at the top. "What he does is amazing", Mathieu recognized. "He has not my same limits. He can travel with his family, he has five to ten people with him, his children are there, they often travel in the air flight. He struggles less. All this plays a role in his general shape. But he is the way he is today because of the past.'
'You have to know that they are $6 million taxes not included. I would have preferred to play five years after because I would have seen my prize money getting twice bigger as earnings increased a lot in the last years! But hey, every generation says the same thing. It's true that it's always a taboo because people believes this is what you have in your pocket. But we have an entire team to manage. It's an individual sport, we pay the coach, the travel, physiotherapy... We all have more or less important contracts. At the top there is a lot of money but they are trying to make the top 50-100 players earn more. Around 100 places it's okay but it's not enough for the top 150. It's difficult to live with tennis. You have to be very, very strong. When we crack into the top 20 we are doing well', said Mathieu, a former world No. 12.
He was also supposed to be an ATP Finals alternate. 'I was called to be a second alternate. But I was in mid-holidays, I refused. It was $100,000, I think.'
Is there too much money in tennis? 'No. There is not enough. Compared to the football players, for example. The world No. 100, if he wants to have a team with him, he basically earns nothing.'
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2S8TLwR
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