By playing in his first Grand Slam final tonight, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will more than double his total career prize money. Not bad considering the guy has spent a sum total of just 17 hours and 40 minutes on the court during Australian Open 2008. As an hourly rate, it equates to about $38,000 an hour. Not bad at all for a man of just 22.
For Djokovic, the prize money won't make such a splash in his cash pool, at 20, he's already worth almost five million. The $1.37 million first prize only makes up just over a quarter of Djokovic's total worth. However, Djokovic has spent even less time on court than Tsonga, racking up just 15 hours and 17 minutes, dropping just one set in the final, so he's getting even more bang for his buck.
So what should they do with all their newly-won dough?
They could do something sensible like putting it in the bank, or chuck it into their super fund so when they retire in a few years time, they'll be set for the next seventy years, but we've got a few more exciting things we could suggest.
For Djokovic, perhaps he could spend some of the cash on a sports phycologist to try and break his habit of excessive ball-bouncing at the beginning of every point. The habit is giving him back problems because he's so tall, so if he doesn't want to see a phycologist, he might need to see a chiropractor.
We're advising Tsonga to take a holiday after the tournament. After beating three top ten players, including world No. 2 Rafael Nadal and fellow countryman Richard Gasquet, Tsonga's bound to be a little tired. He's also never had to work this hard at a tournament - it's the first time he has won more than three matches in a row in a tour event.
Djokovic has already expressed a hope of building a tennis centre for all the young Serbian tennis players, including his two younger brothers; we propose his winnings from this tournament might be a good place to start.
They could do something more nerve-racking than contesting an Australian Open final, and invest in the stock market, but we don't recommend it.
Of course, they could just throw a big victory/commiseration party and be none the richer, but much the wiser next time they hit the court.
