Fame
The top three male and female players in the world? Uber-famous.
The guys and gals ranked fourth through tenth? Most casual sports fans probably know who you are.
Everybody else? Uh…only if someone subscribes to Tennis magazine.
For the superstars of the sport, the fame is awesome. It's an individual sport, which means that unlike basketball, baseball, football, or hockey, it's just you out there. You're not having to share the limelight with a dozen other guys. Okay, so tennis may not have the same level of exposure as those other sports, but it's also one that more people play themselves, so when you're admired by the masses, you're really admired.
Plus, the fame in sports like golf and tennis is cyclical. Back in the '80s, people couldn't get enough of matches between Borg and Connors, McEnroe and Lendl. Then interest in tennis trailed off, Tiger Woods came along, and all eyes were on golf. Now Tiger's basically history, and tennis is getting some love again….