US Open star to have nearly £100k prize money taken away | Tennis | Sport
Maya Joint banked a whopping £105,000 for her US Open first-round victory over Laura Siegemund, but the 18-year-old will only be entitled to £7,500 of those winnings.
The Australian rising star battled through three qualifying matches to reach the main draw of the American Grand Slam, where entrants are guaranteed at least £75k. After clinching a 6-4, 7-5 victory over experienced German star Siegemund, Joint added another £30k to her total.
However, because she has committed to starting a psychology degree at the University of Texas, Joint may only be able to access £7,5k of her earnings at Flushing Meadows.
Controversial regulations at American colleges, set by governing body NCAA, limit the amount of money that their athletes can access.
Their rules state: “In tennis, prior to full-time collegiate enrolment, an individual may accept up to $10,000 (£7,500) per calendar year in prize money based on his or her place finish or performance in open athletics events (events that are not invitation only).
“Once the individual has reached the $10,000 limit in a particular year, he or she may receive additional prize money on a per-event basis, provided such prize money does not exceed the individual’s actual and necessary expenses for participation in the event.”
Joint, who faces home favourite Madison Keys in the second round, has already signed a letter of intent and a scholarship deal with the University of Texas. Should she follow through on attending the school as expected, she will not receive the full £105k from her win at the US Open.
She could earn as much as £162k for defeating Keys in what would be a major upset, but is already over the moon at reaching the second round and her financial prize. “It’s crazy. I’ve never had (that kind of money). I don’t really know what I’d do with it,” Joint said.
The teen explained further that student-athletes can access more than the allocated £7.5k to help with necessary expenses at the US Open, but will receive help from her mum and college to understand the complexities further.
“(As) student-athletes, you can take the money from the tournament but you have to, like, make expenses until the end of the year,” Joint added. “So it’s different from amateur to college. It’s very complicated. My mum looks at it and then the Texas Compliance Office helps me with all that.”
Despite the possibility of turning down a position at college in the States and receiving her full £105k, Joint remains convinced that her plan to head to Texas is the right one, despite being on the cusp of a top 100 world ranking.
“I’m still going after this tournament,” she explained. “I think I’m going to go to Austin. My class has actually started today. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to go to college and I wasn’t really expecting to get this far (at the US Open).
“If I go to college, then I get my scholarship spot. If I decide to go pro in the meantime, I can always come back on scholarship, which is a big deal.”
