Prize-money distribution is a sensitive subject, but seemingly everyone involved in the sport agrees there is not enough given to lower-ranked players. If you can qualify for all four Grand Slams, it’s a great year, financially speaking. If you are ranked in the No. 150-200 range, and miss out on the Slams, things can get pretty dicey.

For the most part, prize money doubles after every round. But in Dubai, there was nearly a 4x increase from the quarterfinal to the semifinal, and that didn’t sit well with Darren Cahill.

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The winner in Dubai received nearly $700K, while the event's first-round losers walked away with just over $17K. Putting all socialist quips aside, there is no reason the tournament’s winner needs 40x as much prize money as the first round. Tournaments need to attract players, and big pots of money is an effective way to do so, but a 40x increase is borderline ridiculous.

Nicole Gibbs had this to say in response to Cahill.

Vasek Pospisil also chimed in.

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When players ranked inside the Top 200 are struggling to make ends meet, it weakens the foundation of the sport. Not only does it lead to corruption and match fixing, it also pushes potential superstars away from tennis and into other, more financially rewarding sports. The money is there, it’s time to pay the players more. They aren’t asking for much, just what is fair. They simply want to make a living playing the sport they love.