ESPN: Low-ranked players 'undervalued'

A new piece from ESPN the Magazine smartly sends up the arbitrary most overrated and underrated persons in sports. The article makes note of tennis at No. 11 on its "undervalued" list.

Since 2007, the three giants of the ATP—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic—have eaten up 26 percent of the available prize money on tour. It's no secret that a stat such as this makes life tough for the sub-Top 100 players in tennis. ESPN also addresses the WTA's earning gap, noting that Coco Vandeweghe took in $157,000-plus in 2011, which didn't off-set her nearly $200,000 in expenses.

Another intriguing piece from ESPN shows that 22 tennis players are the leading moneymakers among athletes hailing from their respective nations. Li Na leads all Chinese exports, of course, and the rest of the roster is of great interest as well. Notably, soccer (aka futbol, aka football) players make out quite nicely. Elena Vesnina is noted as the top Ukrainian female earner, though she lives in Sochi, Russia, and plays for Russia in Fed Cup. (What's funny about her own website is that her bio lists her "Color of Hairs" as "blondy.")

Needless to say, Marcos Baghdatis is the top earner out of the island of Cyprus, and Victoria Azarenka tops the list of Belarusian sportswomen. Not many surprises, but some heartening numbers for a few players who make out better than you might think, especially for largely doubles-focused pros.

—Jonathan Scott (Find me on Twitter @jonscott9.)