Iga Świątek reveals the financial background of tennis. “It’s rarely talked about.”

Szymon Krawiec, Magdalena Frindt: Do you remember when you first earned your own money and what did you spend it on?

Iga Świątek: I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it, but if I remember correctly, it was probably the winter of 2016. With my first winnings from the tournament, I bought a phone to have a good camera for the concert I was going to.

The last time we spoke was in 2023. You had $16 million in prizes from your victories. Two years have passed and the WTA lists the prize money as over $42.5 million. You tripled your bet. Is tennis also played for money?

In fact, a lot has happened in my career in the last two years. Prize money is undoubtedly important, especially since the amounts in tennis compared to other sports can seem extremely high. And of course they are much higher than in many sports, although this is a slightly distorted picture, which is also rarely talked about.

Why curved?

The media always announces the amount of winnings in the tournament, and then you have to pay, for example, 40-50%. tax, depending on the country where the competition takes place. Of course, it is still very good money, but part of it also goes to the maintenance of your team, accommodation and travel costs.

For me, the most important thing is passion for tennis, constant development and striving to achieve the best results. Of course, larger prizes can be motivating and allow you to better prepare for tournaments, give you peace of mind and the ability to focus only on playing and the process, but they are not the main goal. At least for me. I just want to play the best I can, enjoy what I do on the court, become a better and more versatile player.

In one of the Q&A sessions you said that you were raising capital. Do you have a goal in mind, what would you like to invest in or spend it on? Any dream to fulfill?

I have just fulfilled one of such dreams – I created a Foundation to support young athletes and passionate people who want to develop further. I am very happy about this. The first program we launched is a scholarship program. We want to provide the opportunity to develop your skills as well as access to experts in various fields important on the way to building a balanced and comprehensive athlete’s career – psychology, physiotherapy, physical preparation, working with sponsors and the media. I have walked this path myself, I know how important financial and non-financial support is, building the right team around me, I want to help other athletes make their dreams come true and share what I have accumulated. This is a great joy and a source of satisfaction for me. I am also slowly starting to invest, for now in more stable instruments. Step by step I am gaining knowledge and learning, which gives me great pleasure.

How important is money in tennis training? Is a young girl who has talent but no money doomed to failure?

This is a very difficult question because it brings us back to talking about the realities of practicing sports, especially some disciplines. Yes, money is important to some extent and helps a lot in accessing the knowledge of specialists, infrastructure and allows you to travel around the country, Europe and the world. However, what is crucial is how and what they are spent on. And here we come to the point: who supports the athlete, what people he meets on his way and what decisions he makes. So I would say that the most important thing is people.

This is just a fragment of the interview with Iga Świątek, which was published in its entirety in the paper edition with the List of the 50 richest Polish women available for purchase from November 3, 2025 in Empik and InMedio stores.