2 min readMay 4, 2026 06:05 PM IST
Some of the world’s top tennis players have put out a statement expressing their ‘deep disappointment’ at the prize money on offer at the French Open this year. The players include names like Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka. Novak Djokovic’s name was missing from the statement.
Sinner and Co are angered by the fact that the French Open organisers announced that the prize money for the second Grand Slam of the year will be increased by around 10% for an overall pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million), with the total amount up 5.3 million euros from last year.
But the players pointed out in their statement that this increase means that the players’ share of French Open tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026.
According to French Open organisers’ announcement last week, men’s and women’s singles winners will pocket 2.8 million euros while the runners-up in both categories will walk away with 1.4 million euros. The semifinalists will earn 7,50,000 euros while first round losers will take away 87,000 euros. Men’s and women’s doubles winners pocket 600,000 euros and the mixed doubles champions get 122,000 euros.
The players’ statement states: “According to tournament officials, French Open generated 395 million euros in revenue in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%. With estimated revenues of over 400 million euros for this year’s tournament, prize money as a percentage of revenue will likely still be less than 15%, far short of the 22% that players have requested to bring the Grand Slams into line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events.”
The players said that they had also asked for better representation, health and pensions from the organisers of the clay-court Grand Slam event. The tournament begins on May 24.
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