Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka speak out as 20 tennis stars criticize French Open prize money
A group of 20 tennis players, including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Aryna Sabalenka, have come together to share their concerns about prize money before the upcoming French Open.
The Roland Garros tournament starts later this month, and while the organizers announced a 9.5% increase in total prize money to £52.6 million, the players aren’t happy. The men’s and women’s singles winners will each get £2.4 million, but players feel this isn’t enough.
They say the prize money is actually shrinking compared to the total money the tournament makes across the four big events: the US Open, Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. The statement explained that Roland Garros made €395 million in revenue in 2025—a 14% increase from the year before—but prize money only went up by 5.4%. That means players get a smaller slice of the money pie, just 14.3%.
For this year’s event, with expected earnings over €400 million, the prize money share will probably still be under 15%, which is far from the 22% players want to match what they get in the ATP and WTA Tours. Even though Roland Garros is making record revenue, the players’ share keeps going down.
More importantly, this increase doesn’t solve bigger problems the players have been bringing up for a while. There’s been no talk about their well-being or creating a way for players to have a say in Grand Slam decisions.
The Grand Slams seem unwilling to change. Without player input and more focus on player care, the system doesn’t really support the people who make the sport great.
After this Sunday’s Madrid Open, where world No.1 Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in the final, the tour will move to the Italian Open before the French Open starts on May 18.
Djokovic and Sinner will be the main stars in the men’s singles, though world No.2 and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won’t play because of a wrist injury.