Apologies if this was already posted but I couldn't see it and have only just spotted this disconcerting news from The Times online last month.
Now we see why GBR Challenger events were reduced and some futures were cut from £15k to £10k -

"It is believed that the bonuses paid to Maes and others amount to about £25,000 each, which equates to the total prize-money for two ITF womens or two ATP Futures events that could be staged in Britain to assist younger professional players."

Full Article HERE