( CNN ) -- Dmitry Tursunov is not a man to play Russian roulette with his career -- but time is running out . Now 30 , he is entering the twilight zone of his time on court with the opportunities to provide for his retirement decreasing every day . The problem for the World No.39 is that the cost of competing at the highest level is soaring , meaning he must collect $ 200,000 in prize money each year just to break even . It 's not a problem for those in the top 10 -- but with rising expenses and endless airfares to pay for , those unable to win the grand slams or attract big name sponsors are facing a conundrum . For Tursunov the choice is clear -- shell out the cash now and hope the investment pays off . Splashing the cash . `` I do n't have a long career left so I decided to spend whatever is necessary , '' he told CNN 's Open Court . `` I want to get the best results I want to get out of the game knowing I gave it my best and that I did n't try to save up on anything . `` Roughly , I probably spend $ 100,000 on traveling , plus or minus $ 10,000 , it 's kind of hard to say because I think the expenses are going up , the tickets are getting more expensive . `` I think also a lot of the times you have to fly business , not out of luxury , but it 's the only time you can get some rest and sleep . `` If you are sitting in a little shrimp position , it 's going to take you two days to recover , especially the older you get . `` I did n't believe that but I am starting to believe it . It takes me two or three days to get out of the travel . '' Tursunov travels with his coach and physio , paying for their flights , accommodation and wages . He reckons he spends over $ 200,000 on his staff each year . The last of his seven singles titles came in 2011 and while he has bounced around the circuit picking up prize money , the opportunity to earn the big bucks continues to elude him . According to Forbes Business Magazine , the 10-highest paid tennis players in the world earned a combined $ 60 million in prize money between June 2012 and June 2013 . Roger Federer , the 17-time grand slam winner , is estimated to have earned $ 71.5 million in that time from sponsors , endorsements and exhibition matches , not to mention the $ 6.5 million in prize money . In the women 's game , Maria Sharapova leads the way , earning $ 29 million a year , making her the highest paid female athlete in the world . It is a world away from where Tursunov lives -- a man who has earned just shy of $ 587,000 in prize money so far this year . `` You play against very good players , '' he said . `` It 's hard for people to grasp but you are playing against someone top 100 in his profession in the world which is pretty impressive . `` If you play a top 100 golfer in the world , doctor or basketball player , all these guys are making ridiculous money . `` But again it 's hard to compare the sports but the expenses are a lot higher than even in basketball because we do n't have a team who are paying our expenses . '' Tursunov does not travel with a hitting partner as Andy Murray does , nor does the Russian have the backing of lucrative sponsors . And while he accepts that he has not done badly , earning nearly $ 5 million during his career , he says the costs of competing on the circuit are constantly spiraling . `` There are certain expenses you ca n't escape such as airline tickets and so forth but then you have coaches , if you want to compete well , if you want to make it in to the top 50 there 's no way you can do that without a coach , '' he said . `` I 've tried . Roger has done it for some time but he 's still traveling with a physio , the guy who strings his racquets and those are all expenses you pay yourself . `` You pay a salary to your coach , then you pay his and your travel expenses as well as food . So it adds up . I think to travel with a coach you are probably going to hit $ 200,000 a year in expenses . '' Tursunov was just 12 when he left his native Russia to try his luck in the U.S. after being introduced to a tennis coach through his father . Following a one-month trial , it was decided that this prodigious young talent had a real talent -- and after that there was no looking back . `` The coach felt like I was someone , '' remembered Tursunov . `` He saw some potential in me and I decided that I had a one-way ticket to the U.S. and my dad left me after a month . '' While he has never managed to prosper at the grand slam tournaments , Tursonov has enjoyed his time in the sun . Cast your mind back to Wimbledon 2005 and it was the Russian who played the pantomime villain on Centre Court by defeating British favorite Tim Henman . Amidst the searing pressure cooker heat of a tense five set match , it was Tursunov who prevailed 8-6 in the fifth to silence the raucous home crowd . A year later , he played an integral role in Russia 's Davis Cup victory over the U.S. by defeating Andy Roddick in dramatic fashion , 17-15 in the fifth . `` After that long fifth set , my dad said ' I 'm really sorry I put you in to tennis ' . `` I felt he actually meant it -- the match lasted nearly five hours . I think he was pretty exhausted . '' Exhaustion is a feeling Tursunov knows all too well . He is a keen sleeper , taking advantage of every possible second in his hotel bedroom to catch forty winks . In his opinion , it 's getting tougher at the top with the likes of Novak Djokovic , Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray pulling away from the old master , Federer . Not since 2006 has Tursunov made it into the top 20 and the prospect of him repeating that feat looks unlikely given the amount of competition . `` I feel like it 's getting closer and closer in terms of the top 100 guys , '' he added . `` You see a lot of these results where Federer and Nadal lost early in tournaments . `` I ca n't remember a time when Pete Sampras lost that early , or John McEnroe , he did n't lose that early ever in his lifetime . I think it 's getting a little bit tougher . `` Obviously there 's a lot more money involved and the players in order to compete we have to be a lot more professional and so I think the level of professionalism is getting a little bit higher . `` It 's hard for me to say what it was like 20 , 30 years ago , but I feel like when I first started there were a couple of matches where you looked at the draw and said 'OK this is a fairly sure win ' . `` But I feel like there 's almost no easy matches unless you know the guy 's injured or he 's coming from a different continent . It 's getting tougher . ''
Dmitry Tursunov is ranked 40th in the world . Russian reached a career high of 20th in 2006 . The 30-year-old has won seven career titles but no grand slams . Has also enjoyed a successful doubles career with six titles .