Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys both agree with the change they want to see across all of tennis

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Whilst the tennis season is officially concluded, some stars, like Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, have been keen to keep things ticking over.

During December, there is simply no better way to do that than by competing in exhibition matches.

These two in particular have been part of a star-studded all-American cast playing at the Charlotte Invitational, with Taylor Fritz and Venus Williams making up the rest of this elite quartet.

Earlier this week, reporters got the chance to line them all up and ask them some important questions on the current state of tennis.

Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe both agree on a big tennis change

Perhaps the most pertinent of all the questions was concerned with the issue of prize money, and the potential disparity between the sport’s top earners and those struggling to break through into the upper echelons of it.

Naturally, Madison Keys had plenty to say on the topic, and used the opportunity to rally for greater distribution across the WTA specifically.

She noted: “I’ll speak more on the WTA side. Venus, you’ve obviously been a huge reason as to why we have equal prize money, and that was a huge step forward in the business of women’s tennis, but more so in women’s sports. So I think in that respect, we are still making strides.

“I still think that there’s room to grow, but I would love to see tennis be able to support more people.

“I know that obviously the top earners are currently taking the majority of the prize money, and it’s a very expensive sport. It’s very difficult to get into it, to sustain it, to support it. So I think, in my opinion, the future of tennis, it would be amazing if we could kind of grow the sport so that it was a livable wage for more people than a sport.”

Frances Tiafoe then echoed her sentiment: “No, I mean, I definitely agree with Maddie, I think. 

“So over time, we’re continuing to get closer and closer, where it’s, you know, more people can see that’s a profession and, you know, you don’t have to be one of the top top best players in the world to make a real nice living.

“And I mean, it’s getting there, I mean, it’ll probably be better after we’re done and retired.

“Where it’s going, I think the game’s getting a lot more exposure. You know, you see more and more people, non-tennis fans want to come and watch the game.

“But I think, overall, prize money is going higher. I like where the game’s going.”

Keys shared what her relationship with Tiafoe was really like earlier this year as they played together in the US Open’s mixed doubles.

Taylor Fritz gives his thoughts on prize money in tennis

These were not the only two to answer this question though, with Fritz offering a characteristically thoughtful response too.

He actually suggested how tennis as a whole could be improved, not just financially, but as a viewing package to entice new fans into the sport.

The top-ranked American added: “I think things are going well. You see how it increases every year in prize money and growth, so I think there’s that, but I also think there’s a lot of room for further improvement.

“I think there’s ways we could do things better to just make this overall package that we have better, easier to follow for fans, which would, I think, help grow. I say, I’d say overall, I think, you know, tennis is in a good spot, and the sport is growing.”

Venus was posed the same question, but insisted she had no idea what was going on, given she had been largely absent from the tour in recent years. This drew a laugh from the room as they swiftly moved on, although Venus did respond when asked if she’d play at the Australian Open next year.