Subscribe to Newsletter
Enter your email address below and subscribe to our newsletter
French Open players’ media protest won’t continue after organizers reportedly agree to discuss prize money following tournament
Share your love
The world's top tennis players want a change at the Grand Slams.
(BSR Agency via Getty Images)The 2026 French Open will proceed as usual after a day of protest from the players, as the BBC reports the players will fulfill their media obligations when the tournament begins Sunday.
The protest was the culmination of long-term complaints over the share of prize money at Grand Slams, which lags well behind ATP and WTA events on a percentage of revenue basis.
Advertisement
Play 2026 Soccer Pick ‘Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world’s biggest soccer tournament
While speaking to reporters during Friday’s pre-tournament media day, a group of top players — including Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek — limited their appearance to only 15 minutes, meant to symbolize the 15% of revenue they will be getting from this year’s event at Roland-Garros.
For comparison, standard ATP and WTA events pay out 22% of revenue, which the players want the Grand Slams to eventually match.
On the same day of the protest, player representative Larry Scott and a group of player agents met with French Tennis Federation officials, per the Guardian. The players were reportedly heartened by the talks:
Sources involved described positive talks as vindicating their media boycott. One said one day of direct action had achieved more than a year of discussions behind the scenes.
The FFT has promised to return with detailed proposals within a fortnight of the finals at Roland-Garros, with the players adamant an increase in prize money must take place alongside discussions over welfare and player representation.
Player representatives reportedly told the BBC that they never intended a tournament-long protest.
Advertisement
The FFT has held firm on this year’s prize money, which has drawn particular ire from the players. This year’s 61.7 million-euro pot is up 5.3 million from last year, but the players have complained their share of revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2025 to 14.9% projected in 2026.
Sabalenka made waves earlier this month when she floated the nuclear option of a full-fledged boycott of a Grand Slam. The story clearly isn’t over, though, as the All England Tennis Club is set to reveal the prize money for this year’s Wimbledon on June 11.
Source link
See more: https://theglobaltrack.com/
https://corinthiames.com.br/
