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Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka said she thinks players should stage a boycott of Grand Slam tournaments if they don’t start getting a bigger share of tournament revenue.
Sabalenka, who is the world No. 1 player, and men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner were among a group of highly ranked players who released a statement on the French Open prize money.
“Without us there would be no tournament and there would be no entertainment. I think we definitely deserve to be paid with a higher percentage,” Sabalenka said on Tuesday at the Italian Open.
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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during her women’s singles round of 16 match against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia at the Wuhan Open 2025 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, 8 October 2025. (Wuhan Open Official 2025/VCG via Getty Images)
“I think at some point we will boycott it. I feel like that will be the only way to fight for our rights.”
Players are also seeking better representation, health options and pensions for the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
The overall prize money at Roland Garros increased this year, with a 10% increase for an overall prize pool of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million), with the total prize money up 5.3 million euros compared to last year. Even though the pot has increased, players say they are receiving less revenue from the tournament than last year.
The players say their share of Roland Garros revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to a projected 14.9% in 2026, and in their statement they say the underlying numbers tell a different story.
The players’ statement said Roland Garros generated €395 million in revenue in 2025, an increase of 14% year-on-year, but prize money only increased by 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.
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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts against Amanda Anisimova of the United States during the women’s final of the US Open tennis tournament in New York, September 6, 2025. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
“With revenue estimated at over €400 million for this year’s tournament, the winnings as a percentage of revenue will likely still be less than 15%, a far cry from the 22% players are demanding to align Grand Slams with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events,” the players said.
This year the Australian Open increased player compensation by 16%, and last year the US Open prize money increased by 20%.
Reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff cited the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement as a source of inspiration.
“From what I’ve seen in other sports, to make massive strides and things like this, you usually need a union,” Gauff said. “We have to unionize somehow.”
“We can definitely move more as a collective.”
US TENNIS STAR COCO GAUFF SAYS SHE RECEIVED RACIST MESSAGES FROM PLAYERS AFTER MADRID OPEN OUT
Coco Gauff of the United States reacts during the fourth round of the women’s match against Linda Noskova of Czechia at the Mutua Madrid Open on April 27, 2026, in Madrid, Spain. (Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Gauff said she hasn’t heard any talk of a walkout, but said she could “100 percent” see one happening if “everyone moved as one.”
“I really think there is consensus that this needs to be addressed for all players at all levels, especially lower ranked players,” Gauff added. “I want to leave the sport better than I found it. If I can say I played my part when I retired, that’s something I can be proud of.”
Jasmine Paolini, the Italian who reached the French Open and Wimbledon finals in 2024, said the WTA and ATP tours do more than Grand Slam tournaments to provide players with benefits, such as maternity leave and retirement plans.
“There are a lot of things that the Grand Slams don’t do,” Paolini said, “that the WTA and, I think, the ATP do.”
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Italian Jasmine Paolini reacts as she plays against American Hailey Baptiste during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid on April 25, 2026. (Pablo Garcia/AP Photo)
She also said a boycott was an option.
“If we all agree and I think we do – men and women are united right now – this is something we could do,” Paolini said.
The French Open begins on May 24 and the singles champions will each receive €2.8 million and the finalists €1.4 million. The semi-finalists win 750,000 euros and the losers of the first round 87,000 euros.
