Madison Keys opens up about tennis players possibly skipping a Grand Slam, as talks about pay keep going before the French Open.
Madison Keys, the world No. 19 and 2025 Australian Open champ, recently shared her thoughts after some tennis stars hinted they might skip tournaments if the prize money issues aren’t fixed.
With the French Open just around the corner, this prize money discussion is heating up. Big names like Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jannik Sinner even released a statement together about it.
French Open organizers did raise prize money by 9.5%, making the total £52.6 million, and gave each men’s and women’s singles winner £2.4 million. But players think it should be higher, especially compared to how much money the four major tournaments (US Open, Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon) make.
The players pointed out that even though the French Open is expected to bring in over €400 million, the prize money is still less than 15% of that — way below the 22% the players want to match the ATP and WTA Tours. They feel like they’re getting a smaller share despite helping make the tournament so successful.
World No. 1 Sabalenka also spoke up, saying players deserve more pay and that a boycott might be the only way to fight for their rights. “I feel like that’s going to be the only way,” she said.
Coco Gauff agreed, focusing on players who don’t make as much as the top stars. “It’s not about me,” she said. “It’s about the future of our sport and the players who aren’t getting as many benefits, especially those ranked 50 to 200. It’s sad that even the top 200 tennis players are living paycheck to paycheck, while the tournaments make so much money.”
Now, Madison Keys has joined the conversation and seems to support the idea of a boycott if needed. In an interview with Eurosport France, she said it’s important for players to have more say in these big decisions. She explained that players have been trying to talk with Grand Slam organizers for years, but nothing much has changed.
“Now many players have come together and agreed that if a boycott is needed, we’ll do it,” she said, adding that she hopes it doesn’t come to that. “It’s great to see so many especially younger players ready to stand up for all players. I’m ready to boycott if it comes to that, and I find it inspiring to see so many willing to go so far for all of us.”
The French Open starts on May 24.