The French Open is set to kick off its main draw on May 24, but the buzz isn't just about the clay-court action. Some of the biggest names in tennis have launched a coordinated media protest, signaling their discontent with the tournament's revenue distribution.
According to reports from The Athletic, stars like Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jannik Sinner have agreed to cut their pre-tournament press conferences short and refuse interviews with broadcasters TNT Sports and Eurosport. The move is a direct response to the players' frustration over receiving a mere 14.9% of the French Open's overall revenue.
This isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Just two weeks ago, Sabalenka warned that top players might consider boycotting Grand Slam events if their demands aren't met. “Without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that entertainment. I feel like definitely we deserve to be paid more percentage,” she said. “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.”
Sinner echoed those sentiments earlier in May. “It’s more about respect, you know? Because I think we give much more than what we are getting back,” he said. “It’s not only for the top players; it’s for all of us players. Again, from men’s and women’s side, we are very, very equal. I think the top 10 men, top 10 women, we wrote a letter. It’s not nice that after one year we are not even close to the conclusion of what we would like to have.”
Sinner also pointed out how other sports handle similar grievances. “Talking in other sports, if the top athletes, they send important letters, I truly believe that within 48 hours you have not only a response but you also have a meeting with this kind of thing, so … Of course, we talk about money. The most important is respect, and we just don’t feel it.”
The protest comes amid broader discussions about player compensation and media obligations in tennis. The top players are leveraging their star power to push for change, and it remains to be seen whether Grand Slam tournaments will bend to their demands.
As the French Open unfolds, all eyes will be on how the tournament responds—and whether this protest escalates into something bigger. For now, the message from the sport's elite is clear: they want a bigger slice of the pie, and they're not afraid to make noise to get it.
