ROME — High Rank’s Aryna Sabalenka believes tennis gamers ought to set up a boycott if they do not begin receiving a much bigger share of event revenues at Grand Slam tournaments, and Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini and others are additionally ready to protest.
Sabalenka and fellow world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who’s among the many favorites, most of whom are ranked within the high 10, issued an announcement on Monday expressing his “deep disappointment” with the prize cash at Roland Garros.
“If it wasn’t for us, we would not have the event, we would not have that leisure. We positively really feel like we must always obtain the next share,” four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka mentioned on the Italian Open on Tuesday.
Sabalenka added on her twenty eighth birthday: “I feel in the future I’ll boycott. I feel that would be the solely option to struggle for our rights.”
Gamers are additionally demanding higher illustration, well being choices and pensions on the 4 Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
French Open organizers introduced final month that the entire prize cash could be elevated by about 10%, bringing the entire pot to 61.7 million euros (about $72.1 million), a complete of 5.3 million euros greater than final yr. However an announcement from the gamers mentioned “the underlying numbers inform a very completely different story” and insisted they’d obtain a smaller share of the event’s income.
The gamers declare their share of Roland Garros’ income has fallen from 15.5% in 2024 to an anticipated 14.9% in 2026.
Gauff, the defending French Open champion, cited the groundbreaking new WNBA collective bargaining settlement reached in March for instance of the advantages of working collectively.
“From what I’ve seen in different sports activities, it normally takes unity to make nice strides in one thing like this,” Gauff mentioned. “We now have to unionize someway. … We are able to positively do extra as a collective.”
“If all of us come collectively and work collectively, then sure, I agree 100%,” Gauff mentioned of the boycott. However he added that he had not heard any dialogue of a strike.
“I feel there’s positively a consensus that this challenge must be addressed for all gamers in any respect ranges, particularly the decrease ranked gamers,” Gauff added. “I wish to depart this sport in higher form than I did throughout my taking part in days. If I can say I did my half once I retire, that can make me proud.”
Rybakina, a two-time Grand Slam champion who received this yr’s Australian Open, may even comply with within the footsteps of others.
“If the bulk says we’re boycotting, we’re not taking part in, then in fact I agree with that,” Rybakina mentioned. “It is not simply the Grand Slams, it isn’t nearly growing the prize cash. Lots of people do not understand that there is quite a lot of tax. Even when the prize cash goes up much more, it is all going into taxes.”
Paolini, an Italian who reached the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2024, additionally believed within the boycott choice.
“If all of us agree, and I feel so too, if women and men are united now, then that is what we will do,” Paolini mentioned.
Paolini added that the WTA Tour and ATP Tour, which host all different tournaments, have supplied gamers higher advantages, corresponding to maternity depart and retirement plans, than the Grand Slams.
“There are quite a lot of issues that the slam tournaments aren’t doing,” Paolini mentioned. “The WTA and I feel the ATP are doing it.”
4-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek mentioned: “Crucial factor is to have correct communication and discussions with the governing physique and to have the house to debate and maybe negotiate.”
“It could be good to have the chance to have this type of assembly earlier than Roland Garros, however we’ll see the way it goes,” Swiatek added. “However boycotting the event is a little bit of an excessive scenario.”
Based on an announcement from the gamers, Roland Garros generated income of 395 million euros in 2025, a rise of 14% year-on-year, however prize cash elevated by solely 5.4% and the gamers’ share of income decreased to 14.3%.
“Estimated income for this yr’s event is greater than €400 million, however prize cash as a share of income is more likely to nonetheless be lower than 15%, far wanting the 22% demanded by the gamers for the Grand Slam to be held along side the ATP and WTA Mixed 1000 occasions,” the gamers mentioned.
French Open organizers didn’t reply to requests for remark after the gamers issued their statements.
Participant pay at this yr’s Australian Open was elevated by 16%, and prize cash finally yr’s US Open was elevated by 20%.
The French Open begins on Might twenty fourth, with singles winners receiving 2.8 million euros every and runners-up 1.4 million euros. The semi-finalists will obtain 750,000 euros and the primary spherical losers will obtain 87,000 euros.
