**Emma Raducanu to Lose Nearly Half of Wimbledon Prize Earnings to Tax**
British tennis star Emma Raducanu recently captured the nation’s attention with her spirited run at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, marking a notable return after various setbacks. Despite exiting in the third round, Raducanu’s performances earned her a substantial prize pot of £152,000. However, she will not be pocketing the entire amount, as a significant proportion is set to be deducted through tax and national insurance contributions.
Raducanu’s time at SW19 saw her overcome two challenging opponents. She cruised past Britain’s Mimi Xu and defeated former Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová, only to come up against the formidable Aryna Sabalenka in the third round. Raducanu fought hard, notably pushing the world number one to a first-set tiebreak, but ultimately succumbed in straight sets.
Had she managed to triumph against Sabalenka, her tournament earnings could have risen to at least £240,000 with a fourth-round appearance. However, as it stands, the financial reward for reaching the third round—while considerable—is considerably diluted by fiscal obligations. Tax expert Paul Barham, a partner at Forvis Mazars, has highlighted the sizeable deductions Raducanu will face.
According to Barham, should Raducanu be taxed as an additional rate income earner (as is expected due to her substantial off-court business interests and overall income), she will be subject to a 45 per cent tax rate. This equates to a tax bill of roughly £68,400 on her prize winnings alone. Alongside this, as a UK resident, Raducanu would likely need to pay two per cent Class Four National Insurance on her earnings, amounting to a further liability of around £3,040.
After these deductions, Raducanu would be left with approximately £80,560 from her original prize money. This figure does not yet account for any eligible professional expenses, such as travel, accommodation, and the remuneration of coaching staff, which could reduce her final tax exposure further. For athletes like Raducanu, whose support teams and extensive touring incur large costs, these outlays provide some relief against the taxman.
While intensely competitive on court, Raducanu appeared taken aback in the immediate aftermath of her defeat. Addressing the press, she admitted she tends to focus on her shortcomings, especially so soon after a loss. “At the moment, it’s difficult to pick out the positives, but I’m proud to have been competitive. I think that’s better than not being in the contest at all,” she commented. Raducanu was candid about the emotional toll, adding that allowing herself to feel the disappointment was necessary before putting the defeat into perspective.
Of course, her opponent Sabalenka, now in the hunt for her first Wimbledon title, showed why she’s number one in the world. After dispatching Raducanu, Sabalenka advanced to meet Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals, and the prospect of winning the championship brings with it the lure of a £3 million payday for the ultimate victor.
Prize money can be a double-edged sword for high-earning athletes, especially in a tax structure like the UK’s. While the headline sums awarded at major tournaments appear extraordinary to fans, the realities of financial obligations can often cut those figures down by more than half once all is said and done.
Nevertheless, Raducanu’s resilience and on-court charisma have made her a mainstay in British sport, and her Wimbledon campaign is sure to serve as further motivation going forward. With her sights set on future tournaments and improvements, supporters will hope her financial returns are soon matched by deeper runs in majors.
As the dust settles on this year’s Championships, attention turns to whether Raducanu can regain the form that delivered her US Open title and whether British fans will witness her lifting another Grand Slam trophy in seasons to come. For now, though, the spotlight remains fixed on both her potential—on and off the court—and the less glamorous, but inevitable, realities of the professional sporting world.