Sabalenka not ruling out boycotting in the fight for greater Grand Slam revenue share

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Following on from a joint letter from ATP/WTA players about dissatisfaction with the upcoming French Open’s tournament’s prize money, big-name female players Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have put their voice to the letter while in Rome this week for the latest 1000 tournament.

Sabalenka has gone as far as to suggest a player boycott to fight for a higher revenue share.

"I think at some point we will boycott it, yeah. I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights," the world No.1 said.

She argues that "the show is on us" and they deserve better compensation.

“Definitely, when you see the number, and you see the amount the players are receiving, I feel like without us there wouldn’t be a tournament, and there wouldn’t be the entertainment. I feel like we deserve to be paid more percentage. What can I say? I just really hope that  all of the negotiation that we are having, we at some point are going to get the right decision, to the conclusion that everyone will be happy with.”

Players are set to receive less than 15 per cent of the tournament's estimated €400m revenue, which is significantly lower than the 22 per cent they are requesting.

While the French Open announced a 10 per cent increase in total prize money to 61.7 million euros, players argue that their overall share of tournament revenue is falling, not rising.

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Iga Swiatek, while agreeing with the frustration, has taken a more cautious approach than a boycott.

“The most important thing is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies,” she said. Hopefully, before Roland Garros there’s going to be an opportunity to have these type of meetings and we’ll see how they go.”

“I think we’ve been pretty reasonable in terms of our proposal and getting the fair share of revenue.”

The frustration is shared by many top players, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Coco Gauff, who have also expressed disappointment.

Gauff and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina echoing Sabalenka at Tuesday's Media day in Rome, saying that they agreed with Sabalenka’s view.

"For all of us showing up, everyone's going to act as normal. I definitely agree with her on that standpoint. I think a few other players agree too", Gauff said.

Gauff referenced WNBA players who recently held out of negotiations for 17 months to achieve nearly 20 per cent of their league’s revenue.

"I feel like we're doing well though. The progress we made since last year to now, just having the top 10 all agree on something, is I think the first that's happened in our sport in a long time. I do think there's progress, but we can do more, for sure," Gauff added.

The dispute centres on players wanting a fairer share of the revenue generated by Grand Slams, specifically citing a smaller percentage compared to other tennis tournaments and a need for better player welfare.

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