Aryna Sabalenka threatens grand slam boycott over prize money row
Top-ranked women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has suggested a potential boycott of grand slam tournaments if players do not begin to receive a larger share of the revenue. Her comments follow a statement of "deep disappointment" from leading players, including fellow world No 1 Jannik Sinner, regarding French Open prize money . Speaking at the Italian Open on her 28th birthday, Sabalenka asserted: "Without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that entertainment.
I feel like definitely we deserve to be paid more percentage. " She added, "I think at some point we will boycott it. I feel like that’s going to be the only way to fight for our rights.
" Players are also advocating for improved representation, health provisions, and pensions across all four grand slam events: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Iga Swiatek indicated she would not be in favour of boycotting Grand Slam tournaments (Reuters) While French Open organisers announced a 10 per cent increase in overall prize money last month, bringing the total to 61. 7 million euros (£53.
3 million), the players’ statement argued that "the underlying figures tell a very different story. " They claim their share of tournament revenues is set to decrease, with Roland Garros’s player revenue share projected to fall from 15. 5 per cent in 2024 to 14.
9 per cent by 2026. Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek offered a more cautious perspective, stating that "the most important thing is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies so we have some space to talk and maybe negotiate. " She added that while she hoped for meetings before Roland Garros, "boycotting the tournament, it’s a bit extreme kind of situation.