He is a former world No.16, has five career titles, and has appeared in the third round of all four Grand Slam events. However, now Nikoloz Basilashvili is struggling to cover his costs in professional tennis.
Basilashvili, 33, remains a hero in his native Georgia. He’s the country’s highest-ever-ranked player, and in July 2018, became their first male player to ever win an ATP title. His victory at the German Open was duly followed by more glory at the China Open, and established him as a genuine force on the elite stage.
However, as he prepares for this week’s Challenger Sumter event in America, Basilashvili knows he is no longer battling just for ranking points. Now outside of the world’s top 120, he’s revealed the losses he racked up in 2024 after recovering from injury.
His 2023 campaign was cut short by an elbow issue. Since his return, he’s been mostly confined to the Challenger Tour, although he did manage to come through qualifying at the Australian Open in January.
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Last year, he made just over £46,500 in prize money. His travel and coaching costs, however, amounted to almost £107k, meaning a net loss of 88k.
In an interview with the Guardian, he’s now given a harrowing insight into life at the bottom end of the professional game. He said: “I wanted to quit after my injury because I was very burned out for many years.
“You are mostly alone, and you don’t really have a lot of friends to talk to. I don’t know if there is any other sport like this, to take a flight on the same day you play a match and then next week you are in another city.”
Basilashvili has racked up career earnings of £6.6million, so he can hopefully recover from his short-term loss. Not all Challenger Tour competitors, though, are that fortunate, and the Georgian’s story emphasises the struggles many encounter below the top level.
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