Tennis Stars Stand Down on Wimbledon Media Protests

The Roland-Garros media protests will not continue at Wimbledon.

On Monday, the player group—which includes men’s and women’s No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively—released a statement saying player representatives met with AELTC leadership this weekend and confirmed that they will conduct “normal media tournament duties.” The Wimbledon main draw began Monday and runs until July 12.

“This decision is based on Wimbledon’s commitment to return with specific proposals addressing all three points of the players’ July 2025 submission,” the statement read. 

“The underlying matters remain unresolved and players will carefully evaluate the proposals once received. Players will also be providing Wimbledon with further information they have requested in connection with those proposals during the course of the tournament.”

Top players sent two letters to the four Grand Slam organizers last year demanding a larger revenue share, improvements to player welfare and retirement benefits, and additional involvement in key business decisions. Players have said there has been little response to their requests.

“When we have to wait for over a year for just a small response, having the best 10 players, it’s not nice,” Sinner said in May.

Many of the top ten men’s and women’s players conducted a coordinated media boycott at the French Open last month, limiting their media day availability to 15 minutes. The 15-minute limit was a symbol of the 15% share of projected revenue players were to receive at Roland-Garros.

Players are pushing for their percentage of revenue to increase to 22% by 2030. While many of the top players are making millions annually, they say the protests are meant to benefit lower-ranked players who are scrapping to fund their careers.

“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,” Coco Gauff said in early May.

The players’ statement on Monday also said that they are continuing dialogue with “other grand slams.” The US Open in late August is the final slam of the year, and Sinner is considering a boycott of the Grand Slam’s revamped Mixed Doubles event, according to The Times.

However, Jessica Pegula, the top-ranked American woman who was part of the Roland-Garros protests, confirmed last week that she will play at the US Open Mixed Doubles event alongside Jack Draper. Pegula suggested that Sinner may be working independently for that protest, according to tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg.

In a statement to Front Office Sports earlier this month, the USTA said:

“We are in continuous, active dialogue with players and their representatives regarding compensation, overall player welfare and a more active voice in competition matters. The US Open is proud to lead the sport in player investment, having consistently delivered the largest total player compensation in tennis, in addition to continuing to invest in the growth of our event, in all areas. We look forward to sharing more details about our ongoing commitments and this year’s tournament in the weeks ahead.”

The US Open announced a record $85 million prize pool last year, plus $5 million in additional support (including a stipend and lodging).