Aryna Sabalenka calls on players to boycott Grand Slams if they don't get higher share of tournament revenues

Tennis prima Aryna Sabalenka said she believes that players should signifier a boycott of Grand Slam tournaments if they don’t commencement getting a bigger stock of tourney revenues.

Sabalenka, who is the No. 1 ranked women’s subordinate successful the world, and men’s satellite No. 1 Jannik Sinner were among a radical of highly ranked players who released a connection astir the French Open's prize money.

"Without america determination wouldn’t beryllium a tourney and determination wouldn’t beryllium that entertainment. I consciousness similar decidedly we merit to beryllium paid much percentage," Sabalenka said connected Tuesday astatine the Italian Open.

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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during her Women's Singles Round of 32 lucifer against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia astatine the 2025 Wuhan Open successful Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, connected Oct. 8, 2025. (Wuhan Open Official 2025/VCG via Getty Images)

"I deliberation astatine immoderate constituent we volition boycott it. I consciousness similar that’s going to beryllium the lone mode to combat for our rights."

The players are besides seeking amended representation, wellness options and pensions from the 4 Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

The wide prize wealth for the French Open did summation this year, with a 10% summation for an wide cookware of 61.7 cardinal euros ($72.1 million), with the full magnitude up 5.3 cardinal euros from past year. While the cookware increased, the players assertion they are seeing little of the tourney revenues than past year.

The players assertion their stock of Roland Garros gross has declined from 15.5% successful 2024 to a projected 14.9% successful 2026, and successful their connection said the underlying figures archer a antithetic story.

The players' connection said Roland Garros generated 395 cardinal euros successful gross successful 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize wealth roseate by conscionable 5.4%, reducing players’ stock of gross to 14.3%.

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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts against Amanda Anisimova of the United States during the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships successful New York connected Sept. 6, 2025. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

"With estimated revenues of implicit 400 cardinal euros for this year’s tournament, prize wealth arsenic a percent of gross volition apt inactive beryllium little than 15%, acold abbreviated of the 22% that players person requested to bring the Grand Slams into enactment with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events," the players said.

The Australian Open this twelvemonth accrued players’ compensation by 16%, and the U.S. Open prize wealth past twelvemonth went up by 20%.

Defending French Open champion Coco Gauff cited the WNBA’s caller corporate bargaining statement arsenic inspiration.

"From the things I’ve seen with different sports, usually to marque monolithic advancement and things similar this, it takes a union," Gauff said. "We person to go unionized successful immoderate way."

"We decidedly tin determination much arsenic a collective."

AMERICAN TENNIS STAR COCO GAUFF SAYS SHE RECEIVED RACIST MESSAGES FROM GAMBLERS AFTER MADRID OPEN EXIT

Coco Gauff of the United States reacts during the women's singles fourth-round lucifer against Linda Noskova of Czechia astatine the Mutua Madrid Open connected April 27, 2026, successful Madrid, Spain. (Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Gauff said she hasn’t heard immoderate discussions of a walkout, but said she could "100%" spot 1 happening if "everyone were to determination arsenic one."

"I decidedly deliberation there’s a statement astir that this needs to beryllium addressed for each players of each levels, particularly the lower-ranked players, too," Gauff added. "I privation to permission the athletics amended than I recovered it. If I tin accidental I played my portion erstwhile I retire, that’s thing I tin beryllium arrogant of."

Jasmine Paolini, the Italian who reached the last of the French Open and Wimbledon successful 2024, said the WTA and ATP Tours bash much than the Grand Slams to supply players with benefits, specified arsenic maternity permission and status plans.

"There’s a batch of things that the Slams are not doing," Paolini said, "that the WTA and I deliberation the ATP are doing."

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Jasmine Paolini of Italy reacts portion playing against Hailey Baptiste of the U.S. during the Madrid Open tennis tourney successful Madrid connected April 25, 2026. (Pablo Garcia/AP Photo)

She besides said a boycott is an option.

"If we’re each successful statement and I deliberation we are — the men and the women are agreed close present — it’s thing we could do," Paolini said.

The French Open starts connected May 24, and the singles champions volition each person 2.8 cardinal euros, and the runners-up 1.4 cardinal euros. Semifinalists gain 750,000 euros and first-round losers get 87,000 euros.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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