US Open star made to give up whole earnings and complains ‘I worked my butt off’

A rising American tennis star who defied the odds to make it to the first round of the US Open won’t collect a penny of her prize money because of prohibitive rules protecting her amateur status. University of North Carolina player Fiona Crawley made it through three qualifying rounds at Flushing Meadows before losing to world No 88 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-4 in the first round proper. The 21-year-old is entitled to around £64,000 ($81,500) in prize money just for reaching the opening stage of the Grand Slam but she will be leaving New York without the money. That’s because the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) still enforces a bylaw for its amateur athletes. It says that NCAA athletes can only collect prize money “if it does not exceed $10,000 per calendar year and comes from the sponsor of the event.” The ruling adds: “Once the $10,000 limit is reached, additional prize money may not exceed actual and necessary expenses for each subsequent event in the calendar year.” Fiona Crawley earned around £64,000 for reaching the US Open first round but she won’t take a penny. (Image: Getty) Crawley is not prepared to jeopardise her NCAA status even after the biggest week in her tennis career so far, but she has also made her feelings known about the existing rule, which also applies to all other sports under the umbrella of the NCAA. Speaking after her first-round match, as per The News & Observer , she said: ‘I would never take the money and never risk my eligibility, but I worked my butt off this week and it seems unreal that there are football and basketball players making millions in NIL deals, and I can’t take the money that I worked so hard for.’ The acronym NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness. In 2021, the NCAA passed a rule that would allow its amateur athletes to profit from their own image. But that is of little consolation to Crawley whose hear-earned prize money awarded through sporting merit cannot be claimed. Fiona Crawley progressed through three qualifying rounds to reach the US Open first round. (Image: Getty) A clip from the Tennis Channel discussing the matter was shared on the social media platform Reddit and users were quick to back Crawley’s argument. Tantle18 wrote: “It’s insane that they can’t even let her put it into a trust that she’s ineligible to access until she’s no longer under NCAA rule.” Minivatreni added: “Seems very unfair. $81,500 is a lot of money and she could put it to good use to further her career and needs in tennis.” Crawley is currently ranked 729th in the world, further demonstrating the significance of her achievement at the US Open.