Prize Money Dispute Continues as Players Reject 9.5% French Open Increase
World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka signed a letter criticizing Roland Garros’s 9.5% prize money hike, saying it leaves players below 15% of revenue.
The dispute follows last year’s letters to all four Slams and ongoing lawsuits from the PTPA, which Djokovic founded and left in January 2026...
Players are still pushing back against the Grand Slams after Roland Garros announced its 2026 prize money.
World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka were among those who sent a letter to the French Open on Monday voicing “deep disappointment” with the tournament’s prize money plans.
The move follows last year’s effort when nearly every top player signed two letters to the four Grand Slam events asking for higher prize money, contributions to a player welfare fund for retirement and maternity benefits, and a seat at the table for decisions affecting them.
The letters called for players to receive 22% of tournament revenue, matching the split used at the nine ATP and WTA 1000 events.
In Monday’s statement, players said Roland Garros’s April 16 announcement of a 9.5% prize money increase fell short of what they consider fair.
The tournament reported 395 million euros ($463 million) in revenue for last year, up 14%. Yet the total prize pool rose only 5.4%, cutting the players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.
Players estimated that 2026 revenue would exceed 400 million euros, which would still leave their share below 15%.
The letter also accused Roland Garros of sidelining the other concerns raised by players.
“The announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year,” it said.
“There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within Grand Slam decision making.”
The tours didn’t publish the full signatory list last year, but the March letter showed 10 of the WTA’s top 11 women had signed.
Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz were among the men who put their names on it. Djokovic did not sign the second letter sent that summer, according to reports.
A spokesperson for the players confirmed that Djokovic also didn’t sign the latest letter sent to Roland Garros.
“For sure it would be great if the Grand Slams wanted to talk to us, because that's how it's supposed to be and I don't really get why there's no more open conversation,” Iga Swiatek said at the WTA Finals in November.
Amélie Mauresmo, directrice du tournoi, et Gilles Moretton, président de la Fédération française de tennis, ont dévoilé ce jeudi les innovations de Roland-Garros 2026 lors de la toujours très attendue conférence de presse d’avant-tournoi 🎙️#RolandGarroshttps://t.co/abuYy5xYVC
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) April 16, 2026
In March, the breakaway Professional Tennis Players Association, which Djokovic founded in 2021 and left in January 2026, filed lawsuits against nearly every major tennis organization.
The PTPA’s complaint against the US Open organizers stated: “in 2024, the US Open made $12.8 million from selling a single speciality cocktail, which was more than it paid to both singles champions combined.”
That cocktail was the Honey Deuce, which sold for $23 during the 2025 tournament.
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