Wimbledon's Rich and the Not-So Rich

LONDON, June 25, 2005 — -- Michael Collins is an autograph hunter, one of hundreds who prowl the nightclubs and appear at public events in Britain.

At 43, Collins has been out of work since 1984, and lives at home with his mother in Liverpool.

One night recently, he stood outside the Hard Rock Café near Hyde Park, collecting the signatures of some of the world's top tennis players, who are gathered here for the Wimbledon Championships. The players were attending a party in their honor.

Inside, perhaps a dozen athletes, and their wives, husbands and dates, sipped beers and sodas, watching a belly dancer gyrate to L-Rey and listening to a three-piece band and vocalist, singing Latin Soul.

The event had all the makings of just another party for the rich and famous, basking in wealth and power.

But appearances deceive.

While a handful of tennis pros make millions, some skimp along on poverty-level earnings (supplemented by friends and relatives).

And just as an out-of-work machine operator like Collins might seem to be the face of poverty in Britain, his earnings might surprise a casual observer.

The picture is different than the reality: Collins is not destitute (more about this later), and many of the world's most glamorous tennis players are not wealthy.

To be sure, among the partygoers, Roger Federer of Switzerland, the reigning Wimbledon champion, has amassed $2,585,868 in prize money and endorsements so far this year. Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, the U.S. Open champion who sat outside briefly on a borrowed motorcycle, has collected $637,455.

But America's Ashley Harkleroad, one of the most highly touted younger players in recent years, has earned only $10,286 this year, after playing in the United States, Italy and France. Once ranked 39th, she is currently 202nd in the world.

America's Shenay Perry, ranked 159th, has yet to break the $20,000 ceiling, although her early victories here will more than double her earnings for the year.