Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, cut her press conference short. Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek asked those in the room during hers if they wanted to ‘waste time on this question’. The clock was ticking.
For 20 of tennis’s top stars, this was their chance to take a stand in their demand for £25million more prize money at the French Open.
So, the rebels, including men’s number one Jannik Sinner and reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff, would only speak for 15 minutes because the £53.3m prize pot at Roland-Garros, still a 9.5 per cent increase on last year, made up just 15 per cent of the total revenue raked in by the event. They want it to be 22 per cent, in line with joint ATP and WTA Tour events, which would take it to more than £78m.
‘I won’t be here long,’ smiled Gauff, when asked about her participation.
Ahead of Grand Slams, players usually speak for over an hour: a press conference and then separate interviews with broadcast rights holders, television and radio stations and stuff for social media. Not this time. Fifteen minutes, no more. Five for the host broadcaster only, not even TNT Sports, and 10 minutes in the press conference.
There was no official stop watch but Sabalenka decided she had answered enough questions in English and needed to squeeze some in her local tongue before she felt the time ran out.
‘…and now it’s time for national language,’ she said. ‘Thank you so much for being here.’
There was no official stop watch but Sabalenka decided she had answered enough questions in English and needed to squeeze some in her local tongue before she felt the time ran out
Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek asked those in the room during her press conference if they wanted to ‘waste time on this question’
The protesting pack, including Sabalenka, insisted this was not to do with desire, or to further feather their own luxurious nests, but to help money trickle down the rankings to those who struggle to make a living.
Brit Fran Jones insisted that players outside the top 75 struggle to make a profit.
‘It’s not about me, it’s about the players lower in the ranking who are suffering,’ insisted Sabalenka. ‘It’s not easy to live in this tennis world with that percentage we are earning. As the world number one, I have to stand up and fight for those lower-level players.’
This protest is the latest attempt to pressurise the Grand Slams, following two letters sent last year signed by the rebelling players.
‘As I said in Rome already, we waited one year to have a small response,’ said Sinner. ‘It’s not nice. It takes all players, and players are very connected and we are all very much together. Without us, events are not possible to play. Let’s see also how other Grand Slams are going to react after here, and then we’re going to decide (what’s next).’
All England Club say they have already been in contact with players and their representatives – with former British number one Tim Henman reportedly being one to hold talks – and will have further conversations during the French Open.
Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner, was not a part of the group – and his media duties ran well over a quarter of an hour – but backed what the players are trying to achieve ‘for players across all rankings’ and invited everyone to look at golf and their bitter PGA and LIV split at what can happen when a sport fractures.
‘Let’s learn from that,’ said Djokovic. ‘Let’s try to be a bit more united and have a unifying voice into finding better structure and better future for our sport.’
The French Tennis Federation is due to hold talks with players’ representatives on Friday evening with sources keen to point out that the competition’s prize money has doubled in the last 10 years.
So, what next if nothing changes between now and Wimbledon? Sabalenka and Gauff both floated the idea during the Italian Open in Rome that players could even boycott Slams if their demands are not met.
Wimbledon offered £53.5m in 2025, up seven percent from 2024, and will announce this year’s prize money next month.
‘I don’t know if I want to start throwing around the “B” word,’ said Taylor Fritz, the American world number eight. ‘It’s a really big deal, and I don’t think we as players should really, I don’t know, make big threats like that unless we’re fully ready to do it.
Sabalenka and Gauff (pictured) both floated the idea during the Italian Open in Rome that players could even boycott Slams if their demands are not met
‘I think that’s a discussion we need to have and we need to see what the potential ramifications for doing that. But it gets to a point where something does have to change if we are ignored, so that’s a conversation to have.’
‘I don’t think doing something that is not constructive will make sense,’ added Swiatek, ‘but we want to push a bit more to get what we need and to get the tournaments being more open for the conversations we need to have.
‘I feel like we will do more when the tournament will do more for us. Not only us, the top players but for also the lower-ranked players and the whole structure.’ Swiatek earned £7.5m in prize money last year.
All the talk of it being about the little guys didn’t wash with everyone. ‘I don’t think the top ranked players think about the lower-ranked players as much,’ said Jones, the current world number 105.
‘Are my 15 minutes up yet,’ she asked, picking up her phone, when asked about the protests. ‘There is not enough money for players on tour. Where that funding should come from is not for me to say. You don’t break even unless you’re in the top 75 and even then it’s tight. If you look at the top 100 in golf, they are breaking even. If you look at the top 100 players in the Premier League, they are doing much more than breaking even.’