A large dispute over prize money has dominated discussion in the world of tennis recently.
On Monday, several top players from both the ATP and WTA tours expressed ‘deep disappointment’ with the prize money on offer at this year’s edition of Roland Garros.
Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner and others released a statement highlighting that although the overall prize money pot will increase at the 2026 French Open, the players’ share of tournament revenue will decrease from 15.5% to a projected 14.9%
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Top players have threatened to boycott Grand Slams over prize money concerns…
World number one Sabalenka went a step further by stating players may start boycotting Grand Slams if changes are not made to prize money at the four major tournaments: The Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.
A big incentive for an increase in players’ share of tournament revenue is to allow players low in the rankings to earn more, which Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, touched on.
Patrick Mouratoglou discusses the Grand Slam prize money issue
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “This year, the winner of Roland Garros will win €2.8m. The one who loses in the first round, €87,000.
“It’s difficult to understand for the fans that players who make so much money want more. And I can get that.
“The real question is not how much money they make. The real question is how is the money distributed.
“What the players complain about is the fact that the governing bodies are not giving back a high percentage of the money they make.
How would you now rate Aryna Sabalenka’s chances of winning the French Open on a scale of 1-10?
“On tour, you have the Grand Slams and the rest of the tour, ATP and WTA. Grand Slams give back to the players between 13 and 15 percent of what they make. ATP and WTA, around 22 percent.
“So there is a big gap between what ATP, WTA give back and the Grand Slams. And what ATP and WTA are giving is way less than in other sports.
“That’s why the players are not happy. The problem that I see also is that most of the money that the governing bodies are giving back is going to a very very small proportion of players.
“It’s not normal that in a sport like tennis a guy who’s ranked 150 in the world cannot make a living. This is completely a scandal.”
The 2026 French Open is set to get underway on the 18th of May, following the conclusion of the Italian Open.
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