Tennis legend Roger Federer has made $116 million in prize money over his career, making him the highest-paid male tennis player of all time. And the 20-time Grand Slam champ makes even more off the court: In 2016 alone, he raked in $58 million from appearances and endorsements.
If Federer collects a ninth Wimbledon title this year, his net worth will jump £2.5 million (about $3.3 million), the amount awarded to the 2018 singles champions.
But Federer, who faces Jan-Lennard Struff in the round of 32 on Friday, isn’t the only one dealing with pressure on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. The ball kids, who are formed into teams of six and have been training for the tournament since February, are responsible for chasing down netted forehands, rolling balls quickly to the server’s side of the court and running towels to the players, among other miscellaneous tasks.
And the 250 Wimbledon ball kids, who are drawn from 800 applicants, are volunteers, a Wimbledon spokesperson tells CNBC.
At the upcoming U.S. Open in New York City, the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year, however, the ball kids will get paid about $11 an hour. Plus, if you continue to be a ball boy or ball girl, you receive a raise every year, a U.S. Open spokesperson told CNBC.
While the pay might not be much, the ball kids do receive a food stipend and they get to keep their uniforms. Plus, without question, while they’re on the job, they get the best seats in the house.
