Daniil Medvedev knows how much he'd have to make to quit tennis (Image: Getty)
Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has revealed just how much he would need to make in order to walk away from the sport.
World No.5 Daniil Medvedev is a man with expensive tastes after revealing how much would be enough for him to quit tennis for good. The 28-year-old is still at the peak of his powers, but even Medvedev has a price in mind when it comes to his stake in the sport.
Many might have envisioned Medvedev would boast more than a singular Grand Slam title at this point in his career, having thus far failed to build on his 2021 US Open triumph. The Russian has reached five other major finals – three of which were at the Australian Open – and raked in an estimated £34.5m ($44m) on the ATP Tour.
But Medvedev has said he’d have to earn considerably more – as in several zeroes more – in order to hang up his racket ahead of schedule. And the seven-time Grand Slam finalist lifted the lid on precisely the figure that might be enough to turn his head.
“I think this sum doesn’t exist or it’s very big. I’d say a billion,” he told BetBoom’s YouTube channel. “For that amount, I would probably think about it. Let’s just say that I love money.
“Tennis sometimes gets on my nerves, but that’s also why I love it. It’s hard to live without competition, so I try, I play, I win.”
Medvedev went on to say he’d be “very upset” if he ended up quitting the sport. At least for the time being, however, it appears the athlete’s hunger for competing will be enough to keep him engaged and on the ATP circuit in the wake of Rafael Nadal’s recent retirement.
Of course, the player’s ‘get out’ figure doesn’t account for his earnings off the court, though. The right investment or enterprise could net Medvedev enough to take his net worth past the billion mark, which is unlikely to happen through court earnings alone.
To put that figure into context, the Moscow native would have to win all four majors and the ATP Finals every year for the next eight decades or so in order to cross the £1billion threshhold. With that being the case, it’s safe to assume Medvedev will be seeing out his playing career on a normal timeline.
That’s not to say such a feat is impossible, though it would require a considerable amount of fortune and opportunism on his part. Former Grand Slam contender Ion Tiriac is worth an estimated £1.65bn after he too enjoyed a career competing among the tennis elite.
The 85-year-old thrived in post-Communist Romania and opened the country’s first private bank in the new socioeconomic landscape. He also excelled thanks to his investment business, some of which included owning and organising tennis tournaments like the Madrid Open.
Medvedev may not encounter quite the same openings in his life, but Tiriac serves as an example as to what’s possible for a tennis star with the right amount of gumption. If the Russian is to reach his financial goals, however, many fans will hope he at least fulfils his potential on the court first.
