'It's a mess': Top 10 stars pen second letter in plea to receive more prize money
- Christian Montegan
- Sep 26
- 2 min read
Multiple top-10 tennis stars, including Australia's Alex de Minaur, have signed a second letter to the four Grand Slam tournaments in a bid to increase their revenue share and address other concerns.
Players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva signed the letter in August to push for change.
Yet, unlike the original letter sent out in March, the co-founder of the Professional Players' Tennis Association (PPTA), Novak Djokovic, was not among the signatures.
Shop with a 15% storewide discount code: SERVE15 - excludes clearance items, machines, court equipment and gift cards at www.tennisdirect.com.au
The three key areas that players are hoping to communicate with Slam organisers are:
Player welfare benefits, including pensions, healthcare and maternity pay.
Player consultation, with topics ranging from Sunday starts at majors to final set tiebreaks.
Prize money.
Players are seeking to close the revenue gap between payouts at Grand Slams (16 per cent) and combined ATP/WTA events (22 per cent).
The First Serve asked Alcaraz about the signed letter after his first round win at the Japan Open on Thursday.
"[We] tennis players are all fighting to have something, I would say, something better for us," Alcaraz said.
"I think right now it's a little bit, I would say, a mess between the ATP and the Grand Slams. I think it would be much better for us as tennis players, so that's why we're all together just fighting for that, and we all are here to try to be better.
"Progress? If I'm being honest, I don't know, because I'm just focusing on playing. There are meetings, but to be honest, I can't be worried about it."
The Push with Tim Connelly and Heath Davidson cover the world of wheelchair tennis in Australia and around the world – The First Serve Podcasts.
A response from USTA's interim co-CEO Brian Vahaly and Stacey Allaster, chief executive of professional tennis, was obtained by the AP back in August.
"As you are aware, we have always been willing to increase compensation for players — as evidenced by the 57 per cent growth of the US Open purse over the past five years — particularly when additional collaboration on the part of the players helps to create additional revenue," Vahaly and Allaster wrote.
"For example, this year's significant increase in compensation to $90 million (A$136m) reflects the addition of an extra day to the main draw singles competition and the resulting contribution made by players."
Stan Sport is your Home of Grand Slam Tennis. Add the Stan Sport package now to stream the tennis ad-free, live and on demand.
Where can I play safely without all the annoying verification? Most of the sites I’ve tried make you go through insane verification just to withdraw a few bucks. I get the need for security, but it shouldn’t take days to prove who I am. Does anyone know a gambling site that’s safe but not overcomplicated?