Players Plan Media Walkouts at Roland Garros
The world’s leading tennis players are organizing a protest regarding prize money by limiting their media engagements at the French Open, as tensions with the grand slam tournaments escalate.
Those selected for Friday’s opening press conference at Roland Garros will exit after 15 minutes, symbolizing that grand slams allocate roughly 15% of their revenues to prize money. The remainder of the players will decline further interviews with the tournament’s primary media rights partners, TNT Sports and Eurosport.
‘Work to Rule’ Strategy Adopted
A source close to the players revealed that following the French Open’s confirmation this month that the prize pool will be €61.7m (£52.6m), discussions in the locker room have led to a collective decision to implement a “work to rule strategy” in Paris, minimizing off-court activities.
The players have reviewed the tournament regulations and determined they will avoid fines as long as they fulfill their contractual duty to conduct brief flash interviews with rights holders after matches.
Ongoing Dispute with Grand Slams
The group of top players, including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, has been in conflict with all four grand slam tournaments for over a year. They argue that their share of the increasing tournament revenues is insufficient and have also called for improved welfare and pension benefits, along with greater influence over tournament scheduling.
Following the French Open’s prize money announcement, Sabalenka and Gauff suggested the possibility of boycotting grand slams during interviews at the Italian Open in Rome. However, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu distanced themselves from the idea of a strike.
Prize Money Increases and Revenue Shares
This year, the French Open prize fund has risen by 9.5%, with the men’s and women’s champions each set to receive €2.8m. Despite this, players remain dissatisfied as the increase is modest relative to tournament revenues. Roland Garros’s income grew by 14% to €395m last year, while prize money increased by only 5.4%, reducing the players’ revenue share to 14.3%.
Since the dispute became public last year, players have urged the grand slams to match the 22% revenue share paid by the ATP and WTA tours.
Advisory and Upcoming Talks
The players are being advised by former ATP player and ex-WTA chief executive Larry Scott, who is scheduled to meet on Friday with French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton and Roland Garros tournament director Amélie Mauresmo.
Additional meetings with representatives from the Australian Open and US Open are expected later during the tournament. Wimbledon will soon be the players’ focus, with the All England Club set to announce prize money in the second week of June. Although the prize fund will increase from last year’s £53.5m, the players are unlikely to be satisfied, feeling excluded from the significant revenue growth at SW19.
Concerns Over Wimbledon Expansion and Prize Money
The All England Club’s revenue from Wimbledon has surged from approximately £165m in 2015 to over £420m last year. Meanwhile, prize money has doubled from £26.5m to £53.5m in the same period, representing a 20% decrease in the players’ share of tournament revenues.
Players are reportedly particularly concerned about Wimbledon, as the All England Club plans to increase daily capacity by an additional 10,000 spectators if their proposed expansion proceeds. Protests could occur during this summer’s Championships.
