I'm rather surprised that no one has commented on this. Did you see Sharapova's take on how the AO has boosted prize money at each level? She has a problem with a first round loser getting more $ than they did in previous years. Way to be compassionate, creepette! Outside of my Miami/Daniela trip, the only tourney I ever attended was a low level, incredibly cheap one in Schenectady, NY, called the OTB Open in 1987. I was a fan of a gal, name of Ann Henricksson, and saw her play there. She never won a singles title, never reached above #36, but managed to last 14 years due to her love of the game and just enough occasional overachieving to stay afloat financially. I also got into a chat with another lady that played for years without notable success, Vicki Nelson-Dunbar, and still remember her enthusiam. These players are the tour's lifeblood. Ms. Most Overrated Player in Pro Sports Sharapova, if this kind of player isn't around because they can't make ends meet, you wouldn't have anyone to play in 1st or 2nd rounds! Every tourney would be either a round-robin or last 3 days. And soon enough, you'd have to find another line of work, because the WTA would go belly-up. You have millions, what the frig do you care how much the career struggler gets in the 1st friggin' round? Maybe you need to be reminded that the majors pay what they do because a lot of people pay a lot of dough to attend the first few days, roam the backcourts and be entertained by these people. Dumbkopf spoiled brat!