French Open 2026 | 'Far short of 22%': Players including Djokovic, Sinner and Sabalennka not happy with prize money
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "French Open 2026 | 'Far short of 22%': Players including Djokovic, Sinner and Sabalennka not happy with prize money")
Top players not happy with French Open 2026 prize money Photograph: (AFP)
The French Open 2026 has increased the prize money for the upcoming edition to $72.37 million, which is 9.5% more than the last year's prize money.
French Open 2026, one of the four tennis majors which start later this month in May, has landed in hot soup over prize money. The Roland Garros organizers announced 9.5 per cent increase in prize money last month in comparison to 2025 editions but the players remain unhappy. A group of top 20 male and female players, subsequently, has issued a statement criticising the low increment in the prize money share and have expressed the disappointment. The group includes Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Aryan Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff to name a few. The players are asking for a 22 per cent share of total revenue in prize money in line with WTA and ATP tours along with greater say in determining schedule as well as better welfare and pension provisions.
How much is French Open 2026 prize money?
The French Open 2026 has increased the prize money for the upcoming edition to $72.37 million, which is 9.5% more than the last year's prize money. The men and women's singles winners will be getting $3.28 million each, but this hasn't made the players happy.
The increase in French Open 2026 prize money is significantly lower than US Open's 20 per cent increment for the 2025 edition.
Why are the players not happy with French Open 2026 prize money?
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"The players, in the joint statement, claimed that the total prize pool is being reduced as a share of growing revenue. "Roland Garros generated $463m 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%," the players' group said in a statement.
"With estimated revenues of more than $469m 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.
"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," it added.
The French Open 2026 starts May 18 and continues till June 7.
