Sabalenka, Sinner ready to boycott Grand Slams over prize money

World No. 1s Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner have urged fellow players to boycott Grand Slams over the prize money row. Sabalenka and Sinner were among the leading players who issued a statement on Monday (May 4) expressing ‘deep disappointment’ over French Open prize money. The players are also said to be seeking better representation, health and pension options from tennis’ four Slams – Australian, French, Wimbledon and the US Open.

"Without us, there wouldn't be a tournament, and there wouldn't be that entertainment. I feel like we deserve to be paid more," said Sabalenka ahead of this week's Italian Open, as quoted by Sky Sports. "I think at some point we will boycott it. I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights."

Last month, the French Open organisers announced that they were increasing the overall prize money by roughly 10%, bringing the total pot to £53.5m, with a £4.6m increase. However, the players said that ‘the underlying figures tell a very different story’, claiming to be receiving a smaller share of tournament revenues.

"The players' share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5 per cent in 2024 to 14.9 per cent projected in 2026,” the statement added.

On the other hand, the four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek said, “The most important thing is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies, so we have some space to talk and maybe negotiate. Hopefully, before Roland Garros, there's going to be an opportunity to have these types of meetings, and we'll see how they go.

"But boycotting the tournament, it's a bit extreme kind of situation."

The French Open will start on May 18 at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, finishing on June 7. Unlike the other Grand Slam tournaments, which have shifted to electronic line calling, the French Open will retain the use of human line judges.