The Australian Open is sprinkled with stars but the majority of the draw is filled with career tennis players like Maddison Inglis trying to earn a living.
Inglis is the only other Australian woman left in the singles, alongside world No.1 Ash Barty, after battling into the third round where she’ll face veteran Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
The wildcard produced a career-best performance to defeat 24th-ranked US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2 in the first round. She then backed it up against American qualifier Hailey Baptiste, to set up the third round clash.
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In qualifying for the next round, Inglis walks away with $220,000 regardless of the result of her clash with Kanepi.
But when she was told midway through an interview with Nine’s Clint Stanaway last night how much she stands to make, the WA player had to take a second before processing the news.
“I didn’t know that. Wow that’s huge,” she said before trying to finish her sentence while addressing the prize money again.
“Sorry I didn’t know that at all,” she added. “Going into the matches I didn’t think about the money at all, which is a good thing.
“Leading into 2022 I need to find an external coach and that can be very expensive.”
Moments later in her official post-match presser, Inglis said she wasn’t aware of prize money leading into the matches and admitted it would have a huge impact on her career.
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“I actually didn’t know the amount until somebody just said something in the interview before this,” Inglis said.
“I mean, yeah, it’s incredible. The prize money is something that I try really hard not to think about. I actually haven’t at this tournament very much at all, which I think has helped me out there.
“If you’re thinking about stuff out there, it’s hard to focus on the things that you need to be focusing on. But it’s going to be a huge help for me this year.
“It’s going to take a little bit of pressure off just me financially. It’s obviously quite expensive travelling, hiring a coach.
“Not being able to come back to Australia, you’re on the road for a long time. I’m pretty grateful to have some of that stress taken off.”
And Inglis, ranked 133, stands to bank even more if she can get past 36-year-old Kanepi.
Should the wildcard prevail in Saturday’s last-32 match against the world No.115, she will pick up a minimum of $328,000.
It’s a winnable game for Inglis in front of a home crowd, going up against Kanepi who’s won four WTA tournaments and was ranked in the top 15 a decade ago.
If Inglis can continue her run she will make the final 16 after never having won a match in a Grand Slam in four attempts. A ranking inside the top 100 would also potentially be up for grabs.
“I hope it becomes a regular thing. It would be incredible. It feels a little bit surreal at the moment to be in the third round of a slam,” she said.
“To play out there on Margaret Court is something that you dream about. I’m feeling really grateful and lucky.”
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