French Open offers to share revenue with players amid prize money row

The French Open has become the first grand slam to offer players a share of tournament revenue, marking a big shift in the ongoing prize money row between organisers and players. Roland Garros officials made the offer to players' representative Larry Scott during talks held at Wimbledon about two weeks ago. While nothing has been finalised yet, the move puts Roland Garros ahead of the other three majors and turns up the heat on the US Open, which is set to announce its own prize fund for this year's edition early next month.

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What is the row over prize money and how it affects US Open?

The dispute goes back to All England Club chair Debbie Jevans' comment last month that tying prize money to tournament revenue made "no sense" which didn't go down well with players, who briefly threatened to boycott media duties during Wimbledon's opening week before calling it off. Roland Garros has taken the opposite route, pairing its revenue-share offer with promises on player pensions, healthcare support, and a bigger say in how the tournament is run. That now puts real pressure on the US Open, which has had more time to sort out a deal but is yet to move. The timing is tricky too, the announcement is expected right as Craig Tiley takes over as the new USTA chief executive.

What are players demanding?

Players are pushing for all four grand slams to commit 16% of revenue to prize money immediately, rising to 22% by 2030, a fixed formula instead of waiting each year to hear what organisers decide to hand out. It's not the first time players have pushed back either. Some, including men's world No.1 Jannik Sinner, have already threatened to skip the US Open's mixed doubles event unless there's real movement on the demands soon.