Tennis players competing at the French Open are set to scale back their media engagements ahead of the Grand Slam, in a coordinated protest over their share of the tournament’s prize money.
A collective of players has specifically targeted the upcoming clay-court event, alleging that their portion of revenue has been reduced to 14.3 per cent, a stark contrast to the 22 per cent offered at other ATP and WTA tournaments.
Among those who have previously voiced strong concerns are top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and world No 4 Coco Gauff, who earlier this month threatened a boycott of the Grand Slams if compensation levels did not improve.
French newspaper L'Equipe reported on Wednesday that many participants at Roland Garros, which commences on Sunday, intend to limit their interactions with reporters to just 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional pre-tournament media day.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT), the organisers of the French Open, expressed regret over the players' action in a statement to The Associated Press. They stated the initiative "penalises all stakeholders involved in the tournament: the media, broadcasters, federation staff and the entire tennis community that enthusiastically follows each edition of Roland Garros."
Sabalenka, alongside fellow world No 1 Jannik Sinner, was among a group of leading players – predominantly from the top 10 – who issued a statement earlier in May conveying "deep disappointment" regarding the French Open’s prize money structure.
Beyond financial remuneration, players are also advocating for enhanced representation, improved health provisions, and better pension schemes across all four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Last month, Roland Garros organisers announced a roughly 10 per cent increase in overall prize money, bringing the total pot to 61.7 million euros (£52.5 million), an uplift of 5.3 million euros from the previous year. However, players contend that "the underlying figures tell a very different story," asserting that their share of tournament revenues will actually diminish.
The FFT affirmed its commitment to ongoing dialogue, confirming a proposed meeting with players and their representatives scheduled for Friday.
"The FFT is ready for direct and constructive discussions on governance issues, with the aim of giving players a greater role in decision-making, contributing to players’ social protection, and evolving the distribution of value, and it put forward several proposals in this direction during the meeting," the federation stated.
Players claim their share of Roland Garros revenue has fallen from 15.5 per cent in 2024 to a projected 14.9 per cent in 2026. They highlight that the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by only 5.4 per cent, consequently reducing the players’ revenue share to 14.3 per cent.
"With estimated revenues of over 400 million euros 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 Combined 1000 events," the players’ statement read.
In contrast, the Australian Open increased player compensation by 16 per cent this year, and the US Open’s prize money saw a 20 per cent rise last year.
The singles champions at Roland Garros are each set to receive 2.8 million euros, an increase of 250,000 euros compared to 2025.
"Beyond the prize money, a Grand Slam tournament like Roland Garros offers players exceptional exposure, generating indirect income through sponsorships, partnerships, exhibitions and appearance fees," the FFT countered.
"This year the French Tennis Federation also chose to direct a significant portion of these increases toward players eliminated in the early rounds of the main draw and qualifying rounds, with increases of more than 11%, in order to better support those who depend most on tournament earnings to finance their season."
