French Open backlash as top tennis stars furious at prize money announcement | Tennis | Sport

A group of current and former top-10 ATP and WTA tennis stars, which includes Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, have shared their “deep disappointment” at the French Open’s recent prize money announcement. The second Grand Slam tournament of the season gets underway this month in Paris, and organisers have already confirmed a 9.53 per cent increase in this year’s prize pot.

The singles champions will receive a £2.4million (€2.8million) winners’ cheque, up from the £2.2m (€2.55m) that Alcaraz and Coco Gauff got when they claimed the trophies in 2025. But leading tennis players have pointed out that their share of tournament revenue has actually decreased this year.

In March 2025, a group of top players co-signed a letter to leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments, asking for a greater share of tournament revenue as prize money, financial contributions to player welfare schemes, and greater say in decisions that impact them.

On the men’s side, these players were Sinner, Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur. On the women’s side, Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva signed the letter.

And it is these athletes who have expressed “collective disappointment” over the French Open prize money announcement, citing the fact that players’ share of tournament revenue will reduce from 15.5 per cent in 2024, to a projected 14.9 per cent this year.

There has also been “no response” to players’ proposals on welfare, which includes pension and long-term health schemes, and “no progress” on fair and transparent player reputation within the decision-making at the Slams.

A statement made on behalf of Sinner, Sabalenka and co read: “As Roland Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create.

“More critically, the announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year. There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within Grand Slam decision-making.

“While other major international sports are modernising governance, aligning stakeholders, and building long-term value, the Grand Slams remain resistant to change. The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sport’s success.”

Last month, the French Open confirmed that its total prize money purse would increase to £53.25m (€61.7m). But the player cohort noted that this will still be less than 15 per cent of the projected £345m (€400m) tournament revenues this year. In comparison, joint ATP and WTA 1000 events like the upcoming Italian Open share 22 per cent of revenues as prize money.

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