Top tennis players renew pressure on Grand Slams over French Open prize money

PARIS: Leading tennis players, including world number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, have stepped up their campaign for a bigger share of Grand Slam revenues by sending a letter to Roland Garros expressing dissatisfaction with the French Open's 2026 prize money plans.

The latest move follows two letters sent last year by almost all of the sport's top players to the heads of the four Grand Slam tournaments. In those letters, the players called for higher prize money, contributions to a player welfare fund aimed at improving retirement and maternity benefits, and a role in decisions that affect them.

According to the players' position, the goal is for athletes to receive 22 percent of tournament revenue, bringing the Grand Slams into line with the nine combined 1000-level events overseen by the ATP and WTA tours.

In a statement issued on Monday, the players said Roland Garros's April 16 announcement of a 9.5 percent increase in prize money did not go far enough. They said the French Open generated 395 million euros ($463 mn) last year, up 14 percent, while the total prize fund rose by only 5.4 percent. That, they said, reduced the players' share of revenue to 14.3 percent.

The statement added that revenues this year were expected to exceed 400 million euros, which would still leave the players' portion below 15 percent.

Players raise welfare and consultation concerns

The letter also said the tournament had failed to address other demands raised over the past year.

The announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year.

the letter said.

It added, "There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within Grand Slam decision making."

While the tours did not publicly identify the signatories to last year's letters, copies of the first letter sent in March showed that 10 of the top 11 ranked women had signed it. Among the men, Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz were signatories, although Djokovic reportedly did not sign the second letter sent in the summer.

A spokesperson for the players told AFP that Djokovic has also not signed the latest letter.

Iga Swiatek had also spoken publicly on the issue at the WTA Finals in November, saying,

For sure it would be great if the Grand Slams wanted to talk to us, because that's how it's supposed to be and I don't really get why there's no more open conversation.

she said.

Broader tensions in tennis governance

The dispute comes amid wider tensions in professional tennis. In March last year, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), the breakaway body founded by Djokovic in 2021 and which he left in January this year, launched a series of lawsuits against nearly every other major tennis organisation.

In its legal action against the organisers of the US Open, the PTPA said that

in 2024, the US Open made $12.8 million from selling a single speciality cocktail, which was more than it paid to both singles champions combined

.

The drink referred to in the filing was the Honey Deuce, which sold for $23 during last year's tournament.

The latest letter to Roland Garros underlines that the leading players' concerns extend beyond prize money alone, covering welfare provisions and a formal voice in Grand Slam decision-making.