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Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka among stars lashing out at French Open prize money

A group of current and former top-10 ATP and WTA tennis stars have shared their 'deep disappointment' at the French Opens recent prize money announcement

[US Open 2025 Champions Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz]

Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are among the stars speaking out about the French Open prize money(Image: (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images))

All the latest after the worlds leading tennis players have expressed deep disappointment at the French Opens prize money

1. Whats happened: The worlds leading tennis players have expressed deep disappointment at the French Opens prize money and a lack of progress on addressing other complaints. The second Grand Slam tournament of the season gets underway this month in Paris, and organisers have already confirmed a 9.53 per cent increase in this years prize pot.
2. Players unhappy: The singles champions will receive a 2.4million (2.8million) winners cheque, up from the 2.2m (2.55m) that Alcaraz and Coco Gauff got when they claimed the trophies in 2025. But leading tennis players have pointed out that their share of tournament revenue has actually decreased this year.
3. Complaints: The players claim that increased tournament revenue means their share of the pot will have declined from 2024 to less than 15 per cent well short of their 22 per cent target. It is also dwarfed by the 20 per cent rise seen at last years US Open, while the Australian Open increased prize money by nearly 16 per cent in January. The players other key complaints are the lack of a response regarding investment in welfare programmes, including pension contributions, and no progress on representation at the decision-making level.
4. What players are involved: On the mens side, these players were Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur. On the womens side, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva.
5. Statement: A statement released read: As Roland Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create. More critically, the announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year.
6. More: The statement continues: There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within Grand Slam decision-making. While other major international sports are modernising governance, aligning stakeholders and building long-term value, the grand slams remain resistant to change. The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sports success.
7. In conclusion: The statement concludes by saying the players will continue to advocate for constructive dialogue and for reforms that ensure the long-term health and integrity of professional tennis.

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