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Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka said she believes that players should organize a boycott of Grand Slam tournaments if they don’t start getting a bigger share of tournament revenues.
Sabalenka, who is the No. 1 ranked women’s player in the world, and men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner were among a group of highly ranked players who released a statement about the French Open’s prize money.
“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,” Sabalenka said on Tuesday at the Italian Open.
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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during her Women’s Singles Round of 32 match against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia at the 2025 Wuhan Open in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Oct. 8, 2025. (Wuhan Open Official 2025/VCG via Getty Images)
“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.”
The players are also seeking better representation, health options and pensions from the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
The overall prize money for the French Open did increase this year, with a 10% increase for an overall pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million), with the total amount up 5.3 million euros from last year. While the pot increased, the players claim they are seeing less of the tournament revenues than last year.
The players claim their share of Roland Garros revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to a projected 14.9% in 2026, and in their statement said the underlying figures tell a different story.
The players’ statement said Roland Garros generated 395 million euros in revenue in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 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 finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York on Sept. 6, 2025. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
“With estimated revenues of over 400 million euros for this year’s tournament, prize money as a percentage of revenue will likely still be less than 15%, far short of the 22% that players have requested to bring the Grand Slams into line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events,” the players said.
The Australian Open this year increased players’ compensation by 16%, and the U.S. Open prize money last year went up by 20%.
Defending French Open champion Coco Gauff cited the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement as inspiration.
“From the things I’ve seen with other sports, usually to make massive progress and things like this, it takes a union,” Gauff said. “We have to become unionized in some way.”
“We definitely can move more as a collective.”
AMERICAN TENNIS STAR COCO GAUFF SAYS SHE RECEIVED RACIST MESSAGES FROM GAMBLERS AFTER MADRID OPEN EXIT
Coco Gauff of the United States reacts during the women’s singles fourth-round 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 discussions of a walkout, but said she could “100%” see one happening if “everyone were to move as one.”
“I definitely think there’s a consensus around that this needs to be addressed for all players of all levels, especially the lower-ranked players, too,” Gauff added. “I want to leave the sport better than I found it. If I can say I played my part when I retire, that’s something I can be proud of.”
Jasmine Paolini, the Italian who reached the final of the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024, said the WTA and ATP Tours do more than the Grand Slams to provide players with benefits, such as maternity leave and retirement plans.
“There’s a lot of things that the Slams are not doing,” Paolini said, “that the WTA and I think the ATP are doing.”
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Jasmine Paolini of Italy reacts while playing against Hailey Baptiste of the U.S. during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid on April 25, 2026. (Pablo Garcia/AP Photo)
She also said a boycott is an option.
“If we’re all in agreement and I think we are — the men and the women are united right now — it’s something we could do,” Paolini said.
The French Open starts on May 24, and the singles champions will each receive 2.8 million euros, and the runners-up 1.4 million euros. Semifinalists earn 750,000 euros and first-round losers get 87,000 euros.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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