New Delhi, May 4 Leading tennis stars, including Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, have expressed serious concerns about how prize money is distributed at the French Open. They voiced their deep disappointment amid an ongoing dispute with the Grand Slam organisers.
This criticism comes even after the organisers announced a 10% increase in prize money, raising the total amount for Roland Garros 2026 to 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million). However, the players argue that this increase does not represent their contribution to the sport’s rising revenues. They stated, “Roland Garros generated €395m in revenue in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by only 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%,” they said in a statement.
“With estimated revenues of more than €400m 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 tours. As Roland Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create.
“More critically, the announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year. There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within grand-slam decision-making.
“The grand slams remain resistant to change. The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sport’s success.”
The tournament, which starts on May 24 in Paris, will give 2.8 million euros to the singles champions and 1.4 million euros to the runners-up. Semifinalists will earn 750,000 euros, while first-round losers will receive 87,000 euros. Doubles champions will take home 600,000 euros, and mixed doubles winners will earn 122,000 euros.
Despite these amounts, the players emphasised that “the underlying figures tell a very different story.” They pointed to a growing gap between tournament revenues and player earnings.
They also warned that with expected revenues surpassing 400 million euros ($468,426,000) this year, “prize money as a percentage of revenue will likely remain below 15%, which is far short of the 22% that players have requested to align the Grand Slams with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events.”
The statement also raised broader concerns beyond prize money, touching on governance and player welfare. The group said they are united in their desire for meaningful progress regarding fair financial distribution and the governance of the sport. They noted the lack of response to proposals about pensions, long-term health, and representation, stating that no progress has been made on “fair and transparent player representation within Grand Slam decision-making.”
This statement was issued on behalf of the original group of signatories who had contacted Grand Slam organisers last year, although Novak Djokovic was not among those who signed this latest communication.
--IANS
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