World No.1 tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has called out that players should boycott Grand Slams if they don’t receive a greater share in revenues. Sabalenka were among the top-ranked players – including Jannik Sinner – who issued a statement on Monday expressing “deep disappointment” over the French Open prize money.
“I think at some point we will boycott [Slams]” if the players don’t get greater revenue shares. “Definitely, when you see the number, and you see the amount the players are receivingโฆ I feel like the show is on us,” Sabalenka told the media in Rome today. “I feel like without us, there wouldnโt be a tournament, and there wouldnโt be that entertainment. I feel like we definitely deserve to be paid a higher percentage.”
“What can I say? I just really hope that all of the negotiation that we are having, we at some point are going to get to the right decision, to the conclusion that everyone will be happy with.”
Top players slam Roland Garros prize money
Several top players, including Sinner, Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have signed the letter slamming the French Open prize money. French Open organisers revealed last month that total prize money would rise by around 10% to โฌ61.7 million ($72.1 million), an increase of โฌ5.3 million from the previous year.
Players say it is otherwise
However, a statement from the players argued that โthe underlying figures tell a very different story,โ claiming their share of the tournamentโs revenues has actually decreased.
“Players’ share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026,” the players said. Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek emphasised the need for better dialogue, saying the priority is to have proper communication with governing bodies to allow room for discussion and potential negotiation.
She added that she hopes there will be opportunities to hold such meetings before Roland Garros and assess how they unfold, while noting that boycotting the tournament would be an extreme step. French Open organisers did not respond to requests for comment following the playersโ statement.
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