World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has threatened a potential boycott of Grand Slam tournaments if players continue to feel they aren’t being paid what they deserve.
Sabalenka’s comments come a day after a group of top ATP and WTA players sent a letter over the weekend expressing “deep disappointment” in the French Open’s prize money pool, saying their pay didn’t reflect the increase in projected tournament revenue.
“Without us there wouldn’t be a tournament, and there wouldn’t be that entertainment,” Sabalenka said Tuesday at an Italian Open press conference. “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.”
“I feel like nowadays, we girls can easily get together and go for this because of some of the things I feel like it’s really unfair to the players. I think at some point it’s going to get to this,” Sabalenka continued.
Coco Gauff (world No. 4) and Elena Rybakina (world No. 3), the defending French and Australian Open champions, respectively, were both in support of a possible boycott as well.
Gauff said at the Italian Open on Tuesday that she could “100% see” a boycott happening if players “collectively agree on it.” She also said she thinks a “few players” also agree with Sabalenka’s sentiment.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the future of our sport and the current players who aren’t getting as much benefits as even some of the top players are getting,” Gauff said, referring to players who don’t necessarily earn millions in sponsorship money. “When you look at the 50 to 100, 50 to 200 [top-ranked players], how much money each Slam makes, it’s kind of unfortunate where the 200 best tennis players are living paycheck to paycheck, whereas other sports it’s not even a discussion.”
The French Open’s prize pool for 2026 increased by $6.5 million to $72.3 million compared with 2025, which represents nearly 15% of the revenue the tournament is projected to earn. This is down from the 15.5% players said they earned in 2024. It’s also a far cry from the 22% share the players want by 2030, which is what they receive from joint ATP and WTA 1000 events like Indian Wells and the Italian Open.
Notably, prize money at the French Open increased by around 11% from 2025 to 2026 for players making the first three rounds, but just 9.8% for champions—a move the French Tennis Federation said was meant to prioritize players who exit the tournament early.
By comparison, players in major American sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB get nearly 50% of league revenue, while the WNBA’s player revenue share increased from roughly 9.3% to 20% after the league’s 2026 CBA agreement.
Unmet Demands
In their letter, the players noted they’re “receiving a declining share of the value they help create,” and “while other major international sports are modernizing governance, aligning stakeholders, and building long-term value, the Grand Slams remain resistant to change.”
Twenty players signed onto the letter, including Sabalenka, Gauff, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz. The group previously sent letters to all four Grand Slams in March and then July 2025, demanding a greater share of revenue, greater representation in the form of a Grand Slam player council, and increased investment in benefits like pensions and health insurance.
Sabalenka’s rival on the WTA Tour, world No. 3 Iga Świątek, was more hesitant. Świątek said at the Italian Open that she was unaware of a possible boycott, and that doing so would be “a bit extreme kind of situation.”
“The most important thing is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies, so we have some space to talk and maybe negotiate,” Świątek said.
ATP world No. 6 Ben Shelton also said he didn’t know about a boycott, but advocated for greater player representation and “a seat at the table” to discuss Grand Slam issues.
The demands made by ATP and WTA players echo those from the Professional Tennis Players Association, a group cofounded by Novak Djokovic that filed an antitrust lawsuit against the tours and the four Grand Slams. That lawsuit, which was settled between the PTPA and Tennis Australia in December 2025, asked for an increased share of revenue alongside several other player benefits.
Representatives for all four Grand Slam tournaments have not responded to requests for comment.
