Leading tennis players staged a coordinated demonstration at Roland Garros on Friday, restricting their media obligations to just 15 minutes during the tournament's preview day.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka spearheaded the action, which saw approximately 20 elite competitors curtail their press duties in a symbolic gesture reflecting the current revenue allocation at Grand Slam events.
The 15-minute restriction represents the roughly 15 per cent share of tournament income that players currently receive as prize money.
Men's top-ranked player Jannik Sinner and four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek joined the protest alongside American star Coco Gauff.
Aryna Sabalenka cut short her media obligations in protest over the French Open prize money
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Participants confined their activities to a brief press conference and host broadcaster interview, declining additional media requests and refusing to produce social media content for the tournament.
The coalition of players is demanding that Grand Slam tournaments boost their prize money allocation from the current 15.5 per cent to 22 per cent of overall revenue.
This figure falls notably short of what competitors receive at regular ATP and WTA Tour events, where the share is approximately seven percentage points higher.
Beyond increased earnings, the group has been pressing for investment in player welfare initiatives, including pension contributions.
They are also seeking a seat at the table when major decisions affecting the sport are made.
Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are two of the top tennis stars who signed a statement criticising the tournament's financial arrangements | REUTERSThe players first raised these concerns in correspondence sent to all four Grand Slam organisers last spring.
Earlier this month, they issued a statement expressing particular frustration with the French Open's response to their requests.
Sabalenka emphasised that her stance was not driven by personal gain. "It's not about me. It's about the players who are lower in the ranking, who are suffering," she said. "But as the world No 1, I feel like I have to stand up and to fight for those players."
The Belarusian stressed the group's intention to conduct their protest with dignity. "We wanted to do it in a respectful way at the beginning, and you guys know how much we respect you and we appreciate you. It's not about you. It's just we are trying to fight for a fair percentage," she told journalists.
Swiatek offered a pointed response regarding future action: "We will do more when the tournament will do more for us."
Sinner echoed the call for solidarity among competitors. "It takes all players, and players are very connected and we are all very much together," he stated, adding that waiting more than a year for even a modest response from organisers was disrespectful.
The French Open takes place from May 24 to June 7 | GETTYNot all players were comfortable with escalating the dispute. Taylor Fritz expressed caution about threatening more drastic measures: "I don't know if I want to start throwing around the 'B' word. It's a really big deal, and I don't think we as players should really make big threats like that unless we're fully ready to do it."
Roland Garros officials voiced their disappointment at the situation earlier this week and confirmed their willingness to engage with competitors.
A meeting with player representatives was arranged for Friday.
Wimbledon organisers are monitoring developments closely and plan to hold discussions in Paris next week before announcing their own prize money figures next month.