Working for free: NCAA rules prevent Zheng from claiming AO prize money

(Getty/Izhar Khan)

Have you ever had to give back the biggest bonus you've earned in your career? 

That's the reality for American up-and-comer Michael Zheng, who earned the biggest win of his life on Opening Sunday, defeating compatriot Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(0), 6-3 on Kia Arena. 

Zheng, a psychology undergraduate at Columbia University in New York, is subject to the ever-contentious and, arguably, prehistoric NCAA rules of amateurism that prevent student-athletes from earning income tied to athletic performance if they wish to maintain amateur eligibility. 

For most college athletes, these rules are merely academic (pardon the pun), although for someone like Zheng, who is already one of the most successful male college players of all time, these rules become very real very quickly. 

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Arriving at Melbourne Park ranked No.174 in the world and without an ATP Tour win to his name, there was always going to be some level of sacrifice for Zheng. However, a successful qualifying campaign and a win over the former world No.15 increased that sacrifice significantly. 

A good problem to have for Zheng, who intends to return to university to complete his studies.  

"I still have one more semester at Columbia, which I do intend to finish," he told the press after his milestone win. 

"So whenever my run here is done, I'm going back to school."

Now in the second round to face Corentin Moutet on Wednesday, Zheng is guaranteed at least $225,000 ($USD 150,000). However, as NCAA rules prevent Zheng from earning more than USD $10,000 profit, Zheng will need to get creative if he is to find a way to keep his pay.  

"I'll talk to our head coach and try to figure out what's the deal with the prize money, if I'm allowed to take it or not," he said. 

"I'll try to figure that out after the tournament is over, I think."

One possibility is that Zheng takes his pay cheque and uses it to increase his deductibles by improving the standard of living for him and his entourage - think a first-class upgrade and new hotel suite - before returning the remainder.

Unfortunately for Zheng, expenses must be tied to the specific event (not the financial year), and there is only so much he can spend between now and the end of his Australian Open campaign.    

Speaking on Tennis Channel, former champions turned media pundits, Lindsay Davenport and Jim Courier noted the absurdity of Zheng's position where he can't keep his prize money yet college athletes can now earn millions of dollars in NIL deals (a recent exception to the NCAA amateurism rules allowing athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, provided the payment is not based on match results and represents legitimate market value). 

Renowned tennis journalist Jon Wertheim provided an alternative solution on X, suggesting that Tennis Australia could sign Zheng to a NIL deal or place his money in a trust. 

"Tournaments shouldn't save money because NCAA rules are rotten," he went on to say. 

Though frustrating, this isn’t a new problem in the world of tennis.   

Australian Maya Joint remains part of an American class action challenging these same rules that forced her to forfeit a significant portion of her 2024 US Open prize money to maintain her college eligibility at the University of Texas, arguing these restrictions violate antitrust law by limiting athlete compensation. 

That class action will not go to trial until at least November this year.  

Speaking to The First Serve, former All-American college star and WTA doubles player Alexandra Osborne questions how long the current rules will remain. 

"If you're a college player that is good enough to play at a Grand Slam you definitely know what you're getting into… but how long these [rules] are going to be able to stay, who knows?" she said of the NCAA rules. 

"There are definitely pressure points now," Osborne added when explaining that the challenge for universities is to find ways to keep players capable of playing in Grand Slams in the college system longer. 

"Maybe there are some options they can use like an NIL deal from sponsors to match [the foregone] prize money if that isn't happening already."

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