Howdy, y’all and Happy Tennis Tuesday! The NCAA individual tournament commenced at the USTA National Campus and the singles and doubles winners were crowned on Sunday. Reese Brantmeier from UNC won the singles title, while NC State’s Gabriella Broadfoot and Victoria Osuigwe paired up to take the doubles. While Brantmeier captured college tennis’ biggest individual title, it’s beyond ironic as the senior won while currently suing the NCAA.
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In 2021, Brantmeier was a high schooler competing at the US Open. She earned $48,913 in prize money after reaching the final round of qualifying and competing in the doubles draw. That kind of achievement would launch a career for many juniors but instead, it nearly derailed her college eligibility. Why? The NCAA caps how much tennis players can keep in prize money at $10,000 per calendar year before college, with additional allowances only for expenses. Once enrolled, players can’t pocket any prize winnings beyond documented costs without losing their Division I status entirely.
As a result, Brantmeier had to forfeit most of her earnings. Then on top of that, the NCAA challenged her expense claims, including the hotel room she shared with her mother. To gain clearance to play for UNC, she made a $5,100 charitable contribution, essentially a penalty for the crime of being good at tennis.
The irony is almost too perfect. We’re living in the NIL era, where college quarterbacks sign deals with car dealerships and basketball players have shoe contracts. Athletes are making millions while still in school, and the NCAA has largely accepted this new reality. But tennis players are stuck in a time warp, unable to keep prize money from some of the most prestigious competitions in all of sports.
In August 2025, a federal judge certified Brantmeier’s lawsuit as a class action, potentially covering around 12,000 Division I tennis players who’ve competed since March 2020. The trial is set for November 2026. The lawsuit exposes a fundamental question the NCAA hasn’t adequately answered: If the organization now accepts that athletes can earn money from their talents through endorsements, why are tennis players punished for earning money by actually competing in their sport?
Brantmeier’s case is about more than tennis. It’s about whether the NCAA’s patchwork approach to athlete compensation can survive legal scrutiny. The organization has spent years fighting rearguard actions against athlete rights, losing ground with each court decision and policy reversal. Tennis just happens to be where the contradictions are most obvious. How do you justify letting a football player make $500,000 in endorsements while forcing a tennis player to return prize money earned through actual athletic performance?
The NCAA can’t answer that question because there is no good answer.
And before we move on, I just want to give a shout out to Cracked Racquets and John Parsons for their amazing coverage of the action in Lake Nona.
On to links!
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is available now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible.
This Week in Women’s Tennis
Mary Carillo was voted to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a contributor to the sport:
WTA 125 events continue in the off-season and Oleksandra Oliynykova took home the title in Colina, Chile and as a result has broken into the Top 100.
Agnieszka Radwanska didn’t anticipate being back on tour following her 2018 retirement, but the former WTA Finals champion is keen on helping out compatriot Magda Linette.
Tathiana Garbin was a top player in her own right, reaching No. 22 and being Italy’s top player. Now, she’s captaining the Italian Billie Jean King Cup team to back-to-back titles.
Caroline Dolehide was a panelist at the Chicago Sports Summit and discussed her journey as a professional tennis player and how to navigate being an elite athlete.
Players continue to test the traditions of tennis, whether it’s handshakes or other bouts of etiquette.
Lauren Davis has announced her retirement:
After her breakout season, Victoria Mboko was awarded the key to the city of her hometown of Burlington, Ontario.
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| By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer |
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