The world’s best tennis players are not pleased with their share of the Grand Slam pie.
Some are now suggesting a boycott of future tournaments if it’s not increased.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka floated the idea on Tuesday at a news conference before the Italian Open, the final warmup to the French Open that’s scheduled to start on May 24.
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“Without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that entertainment,” Sabalenka told reporters. “I think at some point we will boycott it. I feel like that’s going to be the only way to fight for our rights.”
World’s top players express ‘deep disappointment’
Sabalenka’s boycott suggestion arrives days after some of the world’s top players signed a letter expressing “deep disappointment” in the prize pool announced for the French Open. The letter was signed predominantly by top 10 players from the WTA (women’s tour) and ATP (men’s tour) including Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff.
“Players’ share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026,” the letter states.
Players are instead seeking a 22% share of the Grand Slam prize pool that would be more in line with WTA and ATP tournament.
“According to tournament officials, Roland Garros generated 395 million euros [$462.4 million] in revenue in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%,” the letter states. “With estimated revenues of over 400 million euros [$468.4 million] for this year’s tournament, prize money as a percentage of revenue will likely still be less than 15%, far short of the 22% that players have requested to bring the Grand Slams into line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events.”
Players have previously made similar pushes for an increased revenue share at Grand Slams, including ahead of the Australian Open in January. They’re also calling for better health care and pensions. But the suggestion of a boycott floated Tuesday is new.
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“Let’s see how far we can get,” Sabalenka said Tuesday. “If it’s going to take players for boycott. I feel like nowadays, we girls can easily get together and go for this because some of the things I feel like it’s really unfair to the players. I think at some point it’s going to get to this.”
Aryna Sabalenka floated a Grand Slam boycott that Coco Gauff supports if players don’t make progress in gaining increased revenue shares.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Gauff in support of potential boycott: ‘It’s not about me’
Gauff, ranked No. 4 in the world, heard Sabalenka’s suggestion and is in support of moving forward if players can “collectively agree” on a boycott. She says a boycott wouldn’t be just for the players at the top, but players up and down the draw who depend on their tournament-to-tournament payouts to fund their tennis careers.
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“It’s not about me,” Gauff said. “It’s about the future of our sport and the current players who aren’t getting as much benefits as even some of the top players are getting, when it comes to like sponsorship and things like that. We’re making money off court.
“When you look at the 50 to 100, 50 to 200, how much money each Slam makes, it’s kind of unfortunate where the 200 best tennis players are living paycheck to paycheck, whereas other sports it’s not even a discussion.”
World No. 3 Iga Świątek was less enthusiastic about a boycott, which she called “a bit extreme” when hearing about the idea Tuesday. She advocated for further negotiations to reach their stated goal.
“The most important thing is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies so we have some space to talk and maybe negotiate,” Świątek said.
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French Open organizer addresses revenue
Organizers for the French Open, Wimbledon, The US Open and the Australian Open did not immediately provide statements in response to Sabalenka’s suggestion of a boycott. The French Tennis Federation previously provided a statement to The Athletic in response to the letter calling for an increased revenue share at the French Open.
“In 2026, the Roland-Garros tournament will offer a total prize money of €61.7 million, representing a 9.53% increase compared to 2025 and roughly a 45% increase since 2019,” the statement reads. “This reflects a sustained commitment to increasing player compensation over time.
“The French Tennis Federation has made the choice to focus some of these increases on players who exit the tournament in the early rounds of the main draw and the qualifying stages, with rises exceeding 11%, as to better support players who rely most on prize money to fund their season.
The statement states that “all revenues” are “reinvested into the Roland-Garros tournament as well as the development of tennis in France and internationally.”
Source:
sports.yahoo.com
