NY Times dives into gritty world of ITF Pro Circuit tennis

Tennis fans routinely follow Grand Slam champion millionaires like Serena Williams and Roger Federer. Winning Wimbledon is the ultimate accomplishment for the best of the best, but there are countless others chasing the dream from the many less-glorified rungs below.

A recent *New York Times* piece gives a thought-provoking view of life on the road for some of the most talented tennis players in the world. But their road to glory, or even to the Top 100, is usually a narrow, thorny path filled with obstacles.

Waldstein profiles 18-year-old Hungarian prospect Fanny Stollar (who is ranked No. 204), while also telling the comeback story of 29-year-old Aleksandra Wozniak, ranked No. 317.

The Canadian won her sole WTA title at Stanford in 2008 and peaked at No. 21, but tumbled as low as No. 946 in 2015 after multiple injuries and setbacks.

Much of the article details the financial difficulties for players ranked outside the Top 100 like Stollar and Wozniack, including the logistics of traveling and lodging while managing the overarching problem of earning far less than they spend.

Waldstein points out that: “Tennis distributes about $280 million in prize money each year, but 60 percent of that goes to the top 1 percent of the men on the ATP Tour and women on the WTA Tour, according to the International Tennis Federation.”

There are layers of thoughts and debate topics for everyone associated with the sport. Should the WTA redistribute some of the money from the top to better support ITF Pro Circuit tournaments? Or is this merely a reflection of a capitalistic system in a winner-take-all mindset of professional sports?

Stollar is luckier than Wozniacki. Thanks to her age and potential, endorsements and help from the Hungarian tennis federation are available to her. Meanwhile, Wozniack has been cut off from Tennis Canada's support and has no major endorsement deals.

It's all something to keep in mind next time you watch an underdog qualify for a major and try to take a cut at a top seed. Perhaps there's more reason to cheer than ever for the lower ranked unknown.

Follow Jeremy on Twitter: @JeremyEckstein1