Maja Chwaliński's story is EXACTLY the reason behind prize money protests

(Getty/Matthew Stockman)

When controversy erupts off-court, it usually gets forgotten about once the actual tennis begins.

Think back to the loud calls to strip Saudi Arabia of hosting the WTA Finals because of human rights issues and gender inequality, and Alex Zverev's court case regarding domestic violence allegations. When the tournament commences, that noise softens as the tennis played on the court offers that distraction.

The same could be said at this year's Roland Garros, as the big story, well, pretty much the only story, in the week leading up to the main draw was the top players fighting for a bigger slice of the Grand Slam prize money pie.

That percentage share currently stands at 14.9 per cent, below the stated average of 22 per cent provided by the ATP and WTA Tours.

"I think at some point we will boycott [the Grand Slams]. I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights," world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka said, arguing that "the show is on us" and that players deserve better compensation.

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It led to a mini-revolt on media day, where players would only be available for press commitments no longer than 15 minutes.

And then the fun, and chaos, began to dominate headlines. No longer was the headline about Sabalenka's potential boycott or players' unrest about prize money demands.

You can probably blame the players for that, because their stance seems rather inconsistent, and to some extent, weak, without proper, meaningful action that will genuinely harm Grand Slams such as Roland Garros.

As Jannik Sinner explained at the Italian Open last month, "It's not only for the top players; it's for all of us players."

A player like world No.114 Maja Chwalińska is a prime example of how a more even distribution of revenue can change one's career in a life-changing way.

The 24-year-old battled through qualifying to remarkably reach her first Grand Slam final, becoming the lowest-ranked player to do so in Paris.

"I mean, there is no story, really. I'm not sponsored, so I guess that's the story," Chwalińska laughed after her semi-final victory.

"I hope there are still some [hotel] rooms available out there... or that I have enough money. Because I know I earned quite a bit here, but that money doesn't come immediately. We'll see what happens, pray for me."

Worried that she wouldn't have enough money to pay for her hotel accommodation, Polish sports drink company, Oshee, stepped in to cover the remaining costs.

Now, isn't that an eye-opener when players outside the top 100 are literally going pay cheque to pay cheque? Remember, out of the millions who play the sport, Chwalińska was the 114th best player in the world heading into the tournament.

How are more fairytale stories, such as Chwalińska's, supposed to occur when adequate funding isn't there in the first place to support players who aren't hot favourites for major honours?

An increase in prize money share could be the difference between a lower-ranked player not having a coach and hiring not only a coach, but also a full team - the luxury that the world's best players possess. Surely, the playing field has to be as even as possible to allow heartwarming underdog stories to captivate us.

Perhaps the gap between world No.114 and world No.1 isn't as large as we actually think.

Maybe, it's the financial side that is holding back a player appearing from the clouds and shocking the world.

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