Sabalenka cuts short media duties in protest against French Open prize money
Aryna Sabalenka cut short her French Open media duties as players staged a 15-minute work-to-rule protest over prize money. The action underlined a wider push for a bigger share of Grand Slam revenue, benefits and influence.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka cut short her French Open media duties on Friday as part of a coordinated protest by leading players over Grand Slam prize money distribution. The Belarusian was among several top stars who adhered to a self-imposed 15-minute limit on press obligations ahead of the tournament in Paris.
The protest reflects growing dissatisfaction among players, who believe the four Grand Slam tournaments should allocate a larger share of their overall revenue toward prize money, benefits, and player representation in key decision-making areas.
Sabalenka, one of the most vocal figures in the ongoing discussions, limited her media interaction to a brief five-minute interview with the host broadcaster followed by a 10-minute press conference with print reporters.
“I'm here to talk to you because I have respect for you guys,” Sabalenka said. “We just wanted to make our point and we are united, 15 minutes is better than zero.”
The symbolic 15-minute cap was designed to highlight the fact that the French Open currently allocates roughly 15% of its revenue toward prize money. The strategy was reportedly communicated to most of the top 200 singles players, although participation in the protest remained voluntary.
“As I said a thousand times today, I have huge respect, but we know what's happening here, so thank you so much,” she added before ending the English-language portion of her media session to accommodate reporters from Belarus.
Several high-profile names, including men’s world number one Jannik Sinner and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, also followed the “work-to-rule” directive during Friday’s media day.
GROWING PUSH FOR REVENUE SHARE
The coordinated action marks another escalation in the wider conversation around revenue sharing in professional tennis. Leading players on both the ATP and WTA tours have increasingly argued that Grand Slam events generate enormous commercial income while players receive a comparatively limited share of the profits.
Among the key demands are a higher percentage of tournament revenue allocated toward prize money, improved benefit contributions, and greater player influence over scheduling and tournament operations. While this year’s French Open prize pool increased by 9.5%, players have pointed out that prize money growth has varied significantly across tournaments, with the US Open increasing payouts by 20% last year and the Australian Open by nearly 16% earlier this season.
Twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic did not formally participate in the media restriction protest but publicly supported the broader principle behind the movement, continuing his long-standing advocacy for player rights and representation.
Sabalenka had previously warned that players could eventually consider a boycott of a Grand Slam event if negotiations over revenue distribution fail to progress, underlining the seriousness of the dispute as tensions continue to build ahead of the French Open.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka cut short her French Open media duties on Friday as part of a coordinated protest by leading players over Grand Slam prize money distribution. The Belarusian was among several top stars who adhered to a self-imposed 15-minute limit on press obligations ahead of the tournament in Paris.
The protest reflects growing dissatisfaction among players, who believe the four Grand Slam tournaments should allocate a larger share of their overall revenue toward prize money, benefits, and player representation in key decision-making areas.
Sabalenka, one of the most vocal figures in the ongoing discussions, limited her media interaction to a brief five-minute interview with the host broadcaster followed by a 10-minute press conference with print reporters.
“I'm here to talk to you because I have respect for you guys,” Sabalenka said. “We just wanted to make our point and we are united, 15 minutes is better than zero.”
The symbolic 15-minute cap was designed to highlight the fact that the French Open currently allocates roughly 15% of its revenue toward prize money. The strategy was reportedly communicated to most of the top 200 singles players, although participation in the protest remained voluntary.
“As I said a thousand times today, I have huge respect, but we know what's happening here, so thank you so much,” she added before ending the English-language portion of her media session to accommodate reporters from Belarus.
Several high-profile names, including men’s world number one Jannik Sinner and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, also followed the “work-to-rule” directive during Friday’s media day.
GROWING PUSH FOR REVENUE SHARE
The coordinated action marks another escalation in the wider conversation around revenue sharing in professional tennis. Leading players on both the ATP and WTA tours have increasingly argued that Grand Slam events generate enormous commercial income while players receive a comparatively limited share of the profits.
Among the key demands are a higher percentage of tournament revenue allocated toward prize money, improved benefit contributions, and greater player influence over scheduling and tournament operations. While this year’s French Open prize pool increased by 9.5%, players have pointed out that prize money growth has varied significantly across tournaments, with the US Open increasing payouts by 20% last year and the Australian Open by nearly 16% earlier this season.
Twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic did not formally participate in the media restriction protest but publicly supported the broader principle behind the movement, continuing his long-standing advocacy for player rights and representation.
Sabalenka had previously warned that players could eventually consider a boycott of a Grand Slam event if negotiations over revenue distribution fail to progress, underlining the seriousness of the dispute as tensions continue to build ahead of the French Open.
