At Roland Garros, players protest against prize money. Is 15% of Slam revenues really enough for everyone?
Fifteen minutes. Not a second more. It’s the time that many top players took to talk to journalists at the Roland Garros media day. It is no coincidence that that fifteen is the same number, in percentage, that the Grand Slam tournaments recognize to players on their revenues. For this reason the players, after months of letters and declarations, decided that the time had come to move on to facts.
A battle that has been going on for more than a year
The dispute between tennis players and the four Slams is nothing new at all. For over a year, in fact, the best players on the ATP and WTA circuits have been asking for a greater share of the revenues from the most prestigious tournaments. Specifically, compared to the current 15 percent of revenues they ask to reach 22in line with what is guaranteed by the combined ATP-WTA events. A request that does not exclusively concern compensation, but also pension protection for those who stop playing.
Already at the Italian Internationals, last May 5, Aryna Sabalenka had raised the bar, evoking the possibility of a boycott of the Slam tournaments. Words which were followed up, without delay, by big names such as Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff. Jannik Sinner, for his part, asked that the Slams show “respect” towards the players. In short, the climate is that of those who are no longer willing to wait.
The numbers of Roland Garros
The data helps to understand why tensions are rising now. So, the total prize money for Roland Garros 2026 is 61.7 million euros. The winner of the singles competition will take home 2.8 million each, an increase of approximately 9.4 percent compared to the previous edition. And so far, it seems like good news.
The problem, however, is another: the tournament will earn 14 percent more than in 2025. In short, revenues are growing faster than prizes. And it is precisely this imbalance that has reignited the protest. It should be noted, however, that the debate mainly concerns players outside the top 100, those who struggle to cover their expenses of staff, physiotherapist, coach and travel. For the top 20 in the world, the issue is more of principle than necessity.
The players’ strategy
At Roland Garros there will be no boycott, in the classic sense of the term. The protest will be very subtle and refined, while remaining very concrete. As reported by The Guardian and from internal sources a The TeamIn fact, many players will limit their media availability to the symbolic 15 minutes of media day and they will refrain from giving interviews to Eurosport and Tnt, the holders of the television rights to the tournament. A completely legitimate choice: the regulations oblige tennis players only to have a post-match flash interview with the official broadcaster. Everything else is voluntary. No fine, therefore, but a clear signal to the organizers.
Today 22 May, in parallel, a meeting is scheduled between player representatives, including the former WTA CEO Larry Scott, the president of the French Federation Gilles Moretton and the tournament director, Amélie Mauresmo. The French federation has already made it known that the reduction in media commitments “penalizes all interested parties”. The dialogue, at least formally, is open. Similar comparisons are expected with the governance of Wimbledon and the US Open in the next few weeks.
Beyond the top players, there is tennis that counts
The story of the awards tells something that goes far beyond the numbers of the millionaire contracts. Professional tennis is a sport where the gap between those who make it and those who struggle to reach the end of the season is enormous. And this is no mystery. A player outside the top 100 has to manage considerable expenses: coach, physiotherapist, flights, hotels, and so on and so forth. 15 percent of Slam revenues, spread across hundreds of players, is not always enough. The request for 22 percent, therefore, does not sound like a whim of those who already earn a lot: it is the request of those who want the growth of a system to concern everyone, not just the top. Then, of course, if the top players are asking for it, the sounding board is different. And so these protests are welcome”soft», hoping that they can really lead to concrete results.
