World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka wants to boycott if the players don’t get a big cut of Grand Slam income

Top ranked Aryna Sabalenka believes tennis players should plan a boycott if they don’t start getting a bigger share of tournament revenue from the Grand Slams. The likes of Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini are ready to protest, too.

Sabalenka and fellow No. 1 Jannik Sinner were among the top players, most of them ranked in the top 10, who issued a statement on Monday expressing “deep disappointment” over the French Open prize money.

“Without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that fun. I feel like we should definitely be paid a higher percentage,” said Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, on Tuesday at the Italian Open in Rome.

“I think at some point we will boycott it. I feel like that will be the only way to fight for our rights,” Sabalenka added on her 28th birthday.

Players also want better representation, health options and pensions at the four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

Organizers of the French Open announced last month that they would increase prize money by nearly 10 percent for a total pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million), with total money up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players’ statement said, “the underlying statistics tell a very different story,” saying they would receive a fraction of the tournament’s earnings.

Players say their share of Roland Garros revenue has dropped from 15.5 percent in 2024 to 14.9 percent expected in 2026.

Gauff, the defending French Open champion, cited the WNBA’s landmark new collective bargaining agreement reached in March as an example of the benefits of working together.

“From what I’ve seen in other sports, usually to make big strides and things like this, it takes a union,” Gauff said. “We have to stick together somehow. … We can definitely go a lot as a group.”

‘I want to leave this game better than I found it’

Regarding the boycott, Gauff said, “If everybody would go as one and cooperate, yes, I would see that 100 percent.” But he added that he had not heard of discussions about the walkout.

“I think there is a consensus that this needs to be looked at for all players at all levels, especially the lower level players,” Gauff added. “I want to leave this game better than I found it. If I can say that I played my part when I retire, that’s something I can be proud of.”

Rybakina, a two-time Grand Slam champion who won the Australian Open this year, will follow the other players.

“If the majority says we are boycotting, we are not playing, of course I am ready,” said Rybakina. “It’s not just about the Grand Slams and it’s not just about increasing the prize money. Many people don’t know that there are big taxes. You even make a lot of money from the prizes, but you pay all the taxes.”

Paolini, an Italian who reached the final of the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024, also believed in choosing to boycott.

“If we all agree and I think we’re united — men and women united right now — it’s something we could do,” Paolini said.

Paolini added that the WTA and ATP Tours, which organize all other tournaments, have done more than the Grand Slams to offer players benefits, such as maternity leave, and retirement plans.

“There are many things the Slams can do,” said Paolini, “the WTA and I think the ATP is doing.”

Swiatek: The ‘extreme’ boycott competition

Iga Swiatek, who is a four-time French Open champion, said “the most important thing is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies, so we have a place to talk and maybe even negotiate.”

“We hope that before Roland Garros there will be an opportunity to have this kind of meetings and we will see how it goes,” added Swiatek. “But boycotting the tournament is a very bad situation.”

The players’ statement said that Roland Garros made 395 million euros in 2025, an annual increase of 14 percent, but the prize money increased by only 5.4, reducing the players’ share to 14.3.

“With an estimated amount of 400 million euros in this year’s tournament, the prize money as a percentage of revenue will probably still be less than 15 percent, which is very challenging for the 22 percent of players who asked to bring the Grand Slams in line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events,” said the players.

French Open organizers did not respond to a request for comment after the players issued their statement.

This year’s Australian Open increased player compensation by 16 percent, while last year’s US Open prize money increased by 20 percent.

The French Open starts on May 24 and the singles champions will receive 2.8 million euros and the runners-up will receive 1.4 million euros. Semifinals receive €750,000 and first round losers receive €87,000,