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Top-ranked American male tennis player, Taylor Fritz And ben sheltonhave joined Janic Sinner In demanding more prize money from the four Grand Slam tournaments and criticizing the lack of progress in discussing player welfare.
The leading men’s and women’s top 10 players sent proposals to the Grand Slams in August, outlining a series of reforms after meetings. Roland Garros And Wimbledon In summer. Players received no response nor were requests for further meetings us open In case of an ongoing legal case, it was refused to be filed separately By the Professional Tennis Players AssociationIt was explained why the conversation could not take place.
Players are demanding a larger share of the revenue generated from the four Grand Slam tournaments at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon And us openArguing that the ratio between 13 and 15 percent is too low and should be closer to the 22 percent achieved at events with similar prize money such as Indian Wells and the Italian Open on the ATP and WTA tours. Players are also asking for the Grand Slams to begin contributing to player welfare funds, supporting pensions, health care and maternity leave, and greater consultation with the tournament around matters such as scheduling.
The proposals were initially raised in the first letter in March and Sinner, Arina Sabalenka And coco goff He was among the players to meet the Grand Slam at Roland Garros. However, players have publicly expressed their frustration with the delay in negotiations since August. the sinner told Guardian Said on Tuesday that the lack of response from the Grand Slams was “disappointing”, highlighted by men’s No. 4 Fritz and No. 6 Shelton Independent His support of the proposals and the “united” front the players are now showing. More top stars are expected to speak out before the season ends.
Shelton said, “I signed both letters because this is the first time that ATP and WTA players have come together like this and we need to remain united on the issues that affect every professional player.” “We sent clear proposals to the Grand Slam in the summer, but they did not respond positively. I’m not sure why, because I think the proposals we presented were very fair and realistic.
“When you look at prize money as a percentage of revenue, tennis players are at the bottom compared to other major sports. The NBA, NFL and other leagues share about 50 percent of the revenue with players, whereas at the Grand Slams we’re talking about an average in the low teens. The biggest combined ATP and WTA tournaments are over 20 percent.
“I hope people realize it’s not about more money for those of us in the top 10. It’s about the players who have a voice, slamming contributions to pensions and health care, and increasing prize money so all players can get a fair share of tournament success.”
This season’s US Open offered the largest prize pool in Grand Slam history, with prize money increasing by 21 per cent to £63.8 million. Carlos Alcaraz and Sabalenka won approximately £3.8m for winning the men’s and women’s singles titles. Wimbledon’s total prize money increased by seven per cent to £53.5 million, including a record £3 million for the singles champion, while £66,000 for first-round losers saw a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. Wimbledon’s total prize money has doubled over the past decade, amid extensive investment in improving facilities and services for players.
However, players argue that they should still get a larger share. In 2024, Wimbledon’s prize money of £50m was 12.3 per cent of the tournament’s total revenue of £406.5m, although the championship also invests significant sums to support an extensive grass-court season in the UK. Top stars say they want overall prize money increased at all Grand Slam events to support lower-ranked players, who often rely on early-round prize money at the biggest tournaments to cover their travel and tour expenses throughout the season.
Additionally, there is also a desire for Grand Slams to start making annual contributions to the Player Welfare Fund. The ATP and WTA contribute $80 million (£60 million) annually to benefits covering pensions, maternity pay and health care, but the Grand Slams do not. Players also want more consultation on decisions that affect them, such as tournament scheduling and rule changes. Expanding the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open to 15-day events is among the issues highlighted.
This comes amid ongoing concerns over the tennis calendar, which the Grand Slams are attempting to address as they push for a streamlined circuit of premium events in their talks with the ATP and WTA. To reduce player stress due to increasing length and number of tournaments, A major topic of discussion in recent weeksAnd the introduction of a longer off-season to aid recovery are seen as priorities in those discussions. Players believe that both negotiations can move forward together, regarding a greater share of Grand Slam revenues and future reforms of the tennis calendar.
“First of all, it’s not just about the prize money,” Fritz points out. Independent“This is about players being consulted on decisions that affect them and also how player welfare benefits – such as pensions and health care – are funded.
“On the issue of prize money, I understand. Those of us who have signed the letter are paid very well. But it is not about the top 10 players. I know as well as any other player how difficult it can be for those players because no one becomes professional and goes straight into the top 10.
“Like a lot of sports, tennis – and the Slams in particular – have seen huge revenue growth since coming out of lockdown. All we are asking is that the prize money as a share of revenue at the Slams is in line with the biggest ATP and WTA events.
“The issues related to scheduling are well documented and are just as important, but different. I just hope we can get some progress with SLAM because our proposals are very fair and viable.”
All four Grand Slam tournaments were contacted for comment and a spokesperson for the All England Club, which runs Wimbledon, said: “Our position remains that we are always open to constructive discussions to achieve the best possible outcome for the future success of our game and the benefit of our players and fans. We are having regular conversations with players and their representatives to hear their feedback and these conversations will continue.”
The Professional Tennis Players Association, an organization founded in 2021 by Novak Djokovic, filed a lawsuit against the tours in March, citing “anti-competitive practices” and a “gross disregard for the welfare of players.” However, Djokovic was not listed as one of the current players in the lawsuit, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion was also missing from the co-signers of the letter sent to Grand Slam in August.