Wimbledon players decide on Grand Slam protests just days before the tournament
Top tennis players have made a choice about continuing their prize money protest at Wimbledon.
Several top-ranked players joined a protest at the French Open, with some limiting their media time to just 15 minutes before the tournament, all to highlight concerns about prize money fairness. This discussion about sharing revenue and prize money has been going on for years. WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka often speaks out about it, and players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have followed the ‘work-to-rule’ protest. However, Novak Djokovic didn’t take part in the French Open action, even though he has spoken about the issue before.
A 9.5% prize money increase wasn’t enough for most top players before the clay-court major.
With Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of 2026, just days away, the players have confirmed they’ll protest again. This time, they are limiting their media appearances to 15 minutes before and during the tournament. The 15-minute rule represents the 15% of revenue from Grand Slams that goes to prize money.
Wimbledon recently announced a 20% increase in prize money, raising the total to £64.2 million. The singles winners will get £3.6 million, and even players who lose in the first round will earn £80,000. The players said this was a “meaningful statement of intent,” but they still feel the increase doesn’t match the 16% of revenue they asked for. The prize pot is about £7 million less than what the players want.
Besides more prize money, players also want contributions to their benefits and a bigger role in event decisions.
Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club, told BBC Sport in June, “We don’t focus on percentages because that doesn’t consider costs. We have expenses and investments in grass-court tennis. Running a sustainable business means more than just looking at revenue. We’ve been doing this for nearly 150 years.”
Wimbledon’s first round starts Monday, 29 June.
Prize Money Breakdown:
– Champion – £3,600,000
– Runner-up – £1,800,000
– Semi-finalist – £900,000
– Quarter-finalist – £480,000
– Last 16 – £300,000
– Last 32 – £185,000
– Last 64 – £126,000
– First round – £80,000