Why Coco Gauff was right to choose tennis over basketball – she earns a million dollars a match

Coco Gauff last year earned $1.25 million a match but, on Rod Laver Arena, she could just as easily be wandering through an American college with a couple of books under her arm.

Hundred-dollar bills may tumble like confetti from Coco Gauff’s pockets. Her racquet strings could be bling. Here comes the highest-paid women’s athlete in the world and you’re absolutely right. How does she earn more than Australia’s gold medal-winning Paralympic swimming star, Alexa Leary? I have no idea.

We’re paying attention to the richest of the rich female kids at the Australian Open.

There’s $85m in talent on show in the first two matches on Rod Laver Arena, giving or taking a cent or two, and first up is Aryna Sabalenka, earning $30m last year. She’s the world No.1 but Belarusian athletes aren’t always flooded with sponsorship deals, hence her paltry income compared with Gauff’s $55m.

Sabalenka huffs and puffs to a 6-1 6-2 win over Russian Mirra Andreeva in 62 minutes. Asked about her next opponent, she says, “Doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”

Sabalenka played 70 matches last year for her behemoth salary, equating to $428,000 per match. Nice coin if you can get it. She’s a three-time major champion and the hunted at Melbourne Park.

Coco Gauff unleashes against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic on Rod Laver Arena. Picture: Michael Klein

“It doesn’t matter if you are No.1, No.2, No.10, there is always the pressure,” she says. “It’s about focusing on yourself, having fun outside of the court, taking it easy outside of the court, because there is enough pressure on the court.

“It’s about balance. You have to do stuff which brings you joy in life. Then you have to go out there and you have to compete and fight.”

Sabalenka will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday. Not that it matters. Not that she cares. She’s on a semi-finals collision course with Gauff, whose elevation to the top of the women’s rich list is surprising, is it not?

For starters, Gauff isn’t the best player in the world. That’s Sabalenka. Gauff has the American market cornered, which ensures plenty of Benjamins in her bank account, and yet she doesn’t immediately dazzle your socks off like the Serena sisters, as Jennifer Capriati once called the Williamses.

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka serves to Mirra Andreeva on Rod Laver Arena in her straight-sets win. Picture: Michael Klein

You’d reckon Olympic gymnast Simone Biles ($18.07m) or WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark ($13.07m) might attract greater sponsorship than Gauff … but she’ll pass the hat around for them soon.

This is a breathtaking stat. Gauff played 44 matches last year and earned $55m in prizemoney and endorsements. That’s $1.25m per match. Understated, unassuming, she’s actually the least likely player to have hundred-dollar bills falling from her pockets. There’s no bling on her neck or wrists, let alone as strings.

She’s a corporate darling and yet she doesn’t walk into a room and own it. She’ll be more likely to sit in a corner and have a polite, quiet chat.

The opening stages of her 5-7 6-2 6-1 over Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic were played in virtual silence. A half-full Rod Laver Arena seems curious at best; the VIP section is completely empty.

Gauff won the 2023 US Open as a 19-year-old but failed to add to her tally last year. There’s still a girlish quality to her. She walks around the court in a rather understated fashion. She could just as easily be wandering through an American college with a couple of books under her arm. She fires up when the time is right, and is a cheerful character in the locker room. You’ll never hear a bad word about her and she’s definitely glamorous, but somehow there’s something completely unglamorous about the richest of the rich.

Coco Gauff hits a return against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic. Picture: David Gray/AFP

She faces Spain’s feisty Paula Bardosa ahead of the likely semi-final against Sabalenka in shoes designed like high-top basketball sneakers.

“Because that’s the sport my dad wanted me to play,” she said. “I’m glad I chose tennis.”

You can think of $55m reasons why. Now, I’m no Dixie D’Amelio when it comes to fashion, not even an Olivia Palermo, but her dress looked rather stock-standard to this untrained eye. Apparently, there’s more to it.

“I’m a huge Marvel fan and a lot of the female superheroes have cool cutouts on their outfits, so that’s what I wanted to do,” she said of the open-backed design.

“New Balance has great designers but it’s actually kind of a pain to get into because it’s a bodysuit. I have to, like, put the bottom part on first and then pull it over my head. It’s kind of a struggle … but you have to sacrifice for fashion.”