Thread 2: Some reflections of my journey

The one thing that most people may not know is that not all sports people earn enough money from sport to cover their costs, let alone live well (all sports). For athletes with disabilities it’s even worse.

Its very common to be a world champion and have a full-time job because you earn nothing or very little. A few athletes have made it though, but through sponsorships and endorsement (only a few), not through prize money.

Wheelchair tennis is no exception. I mentioned that the wheelchair tennis tour has about US$3million total prize money across 140 tournaments in a year. The winner of the singles title at the US Open tennis event takes home that very amount in able bodied tennis (1 event).

I am not comparing the two, just giving context for clarity. This problem is not just between able-bodied vs disability sport, men vs women’s sports, it’s a problem within and between all of the above categories. Here is 1 article on this in tennis https://serveandvolleytennis.com/how-do-professional-tennis-players-make-a-living/

The most I earned for winning a tournament hardly surpassed US$250.00 for 1 tournament (I won 11 singles in total). This is less than the entry fee for that 1 event, let alone travel costs.

Most entry level tournaments pay about USD$100.00 for the winner, depending on draw sizes etc.The bigger tournaments such as grand slams pay thousands for the winner (wheelchair) but if you take in the costs incurred to get to the point where one has a chance of winning,

.. those earnings won’t cover much. You need to play these lower end events for a bit in your early career to get points to improve your word ranking so that you can make the main draws of the bigger tournaments.

At this stage, you are not even a brand yet to attract sponsors, yet u need them the most here. Its the stroy of many athletes, not just athletes with disabilities

I struggled to get sponsorship, the only one I had (strictly speaking) was from Wilson, the racket supplier. I however got support from several individuals and organisations. These were usually once off, sometimes a few more times, mostly in kind but much needed.

So, the reality was that I would be hustling to get into a combi or bus on a day when I was on a headline in the newspaper and that didn’t make sense to many people who knew me. Some thought I was hiding my wealth (I wish). I can write a whole book on this

I mentioned that I had a full bursary at UJ, that didn’t include any pocket money, so I decided to #hustle. In my first year 2009, I started coaching tennis for Wheelchair Tennis South Africa to earn a bit of money. This would be my side hustle until 2016.

I was also working as a student assistant in my department at UJ (2010-2012). 2013, I was full time administrator in the same department on a 1-year temporary appointment. In between I volunteered at tennis events to gain some experience.

All in all, between 2009-2016, I had 2-3 jobs at a time and studying and playing tennis (before the injury). I did all I could in a day to earn money.

I was a research assistant and guest lecturing mornings (during weekday when i did my masters), get on a taxi (kombi) or bus to Soweto for coaching on Wednesday and Friday afternoons and on Saturdays and Sundays. It was all normal to me.

Yes, there were days when I would feel like I needed a break (like everyone else) but I kept going. I loved what I was doing, which was helpful. Key lesson #hustle #noexcuses

I consider all the years I focused on tennis my “gap” years. This is because I took a detour from the ‘normal’ for a young man at that age who was a recent graduate. Most of my peers were settling in their jobs or hustles and looking for stability.

I decided to pursue something which from the own set, I realised had a very slim chance of sustaining me financially (though hopeful to beat the odds). I loved it that much to want to go as far as I could none the less.

I used that time to network, build myself and create a foundation that has allowed me to be where I am today with the help of the many people who helped me. #DelayednotDenied

End of thread