Serena Williams stands to lose up to $3 million from WTA withdrawal

 

Serena Williams will not lose her No. 1 ranking any time soon.

But after withdrawing from the rest of the season, she's going to lose an enormous amount of money. Her fine for missing the WTA Finals in Singapore will be $125,000, which may seem like chump change to someone in Williams' tax bracket.
Williams could, however, avoid that levy if she agrees to show up in Singapore and make herself available for some promotional work.
By skipping the China Open, Williams will have failed to meet the required commitment to play in at least four of the five WTA Premier Mandatory events. Therefore, she forfeits the $450,000 she would have earned in bonus pool money as the No. 1 player.
And because Williams didn't play all nine of the WTA events that would have qualified her for a "Super Bonus," she can't claim that $100,000 either.
Those aren't exactly fines, but Williams had done almost all the heavy lifting to earn that money, and now all of it will be unavailable. It brings the total she's lost out on to $675,000.
With a $500,000 increase in prize money in Singapore, the WTA finalists will be vying for a potential undefeated champion's first-prize check of $2,360,000. Based on recent history, Williams would have had an excellent chance to sweep the field. Had she done that, the turnaround, including her bonus pool earnings, would have left her with a net gain of more than $3 million.
Sources at the WTA told ESPN that they are currently in talks with Williams' camp regarding the fines and her potential promotional appearances at the WTA Finals.