World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka said top players could boycott grand slam tournaments if their demands for increased prize money and a greater share of event revenues are not listened to.
It comes as leading players from the men’s and women’s top 10 expressed their “deep and collective disappointment” at the prize money on offer at this year’s Roland Garros in a statement released over the weekend.
The group, which includes Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff, also want more consultation with the grand slams around matters such as scheduling and for them to start contributing to a player welfare fund.
According to the group, their share of the overall revenue generated by Roland Garros is projected to decline to 14.3 per cent this year. Players are pushing for that figure to be closer to the 22 per cent received at mixed events on the ATP and WTA Tours with equal prize money, such as Indian Wells and this month’s Italian Open.
When asked how far players might push to get their desired changes, Sabalenka told reporters at the Italian Open: “I think at some point we will boycott it, yeah. I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights.
“Let's see how far we can get, if it's going to take players for boycott... 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.”
While French Open organisers have announced an increase of 9.5 per cent in total prize money for this year’s tournament, rising to an overall pot of €61.7m (£53.7m), several leading players from the men’s and women’s top 10 continue to be frustrated by the “declining share of the value they help create”.
Prize money increased at all four of the grand slams last season, reaching a record £66.3m at the US Open. The winners of the men’s and women’s singles titles, Alcaraz and Sabalenka, took home £3.74m each, while Sinner and Iga Swiatek won £3m for winning Wimbledon.
Sabalanka said the players deserved a greater share. “When you see the number and you see the amount the players are receiving... I feel like the show is on us. I feel like without us there wouldn't be a tournament and there wouldn't be that entertainment. I feel like definitely we deserve to be paid more percentage. What can I say?”
In response to the players’ most recent statement on Monday, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) told The Independent that a decision had been made to focus prize money increases on “players who exit the tournament in the early rounds of the main draw and the qualifying stages”. Figures released by Roland Garros reveal an increase of around 11 per cent for the first three rounds of the main draw, compared to a 9.8 per cent increase for the singles champions.
A statement said: “Beyond prize money, the Roland-Garros model is based on a specific economic framework. The FFT is a non-profit organization. All revenues generated by the tournament are reinvested into the Roland-Garros tournament, as well as the development of tennis in France and internationally.
“This includes direct support for the development of the sport at grassroot level, training and pathway programs, strong commitment to women’s tennis, inclusive tennis and wheelchair tennis, as well as significant contributions to international tennis development through the ITF.
“The FFT has also recently invested more than €400m in the Roland-Garros infrastructure, notably to significantly enhance player conditions and on-site services. Finally, the FFT remains fully committed to ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders in global tennis, including speaking directly with individual players. It will continue working to improve overall player conditions, in line with its responsibilities and its model.”
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