> Back in 2019, Rafael Nadal earned $16 million in prize money playing tennis. Gael Monfils, in ninth place, earned $3 million. > These are the kind of sharp i

> Back in 2019, Rafael Nadal earned $16 million in prize money playing tennis. Gael Monfils, in ninth place, earned $3 million. > These are the kind of sharp income disparities that lead Elizabeth Warren to say the economy is rigged. But of course pro tennis isn’t “rigged” in any normal sense. Fair, tournament-style competitions just tend to produce this kind of outcome where modest differences in ability lead to wild disparities in earnings. Interestingly, even pro tennis seems to have realized this. The major tournaments have recently restructured their prize money to be less top-heavy and to distribute more cash to those who exit in the early rounds. The idea being, I suppose, that making being a touring pro easier for more people will ultimately benefit the tour.