Top players will sharply curtail their media obligations at Roland Garros this week in an escalation of the ongoing dispute over Grand Slam prize money, with the French Open organisers and player representatives now set to meet Friday in an attempt to ease tensions before the tournament begins on Sunday.
Many of the players competing in Paris plan to limit their conversations with reporters to 15 minutes during the tournament’s traditional pre-tournament media day on Friday.
Those involved are also expected to decline interviews with the Grand Slam’s TV rights holders. The names of the players taking part have not been made public, but the group is understood to include figures from across the top of both tours.
The pay dispute. The protest is the latest move in a long-running campaign by leading players, who argue that the four Grand Slams pay them too small a share of the revenue the events generate.
In a joint statement earlier this month, world number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, alongside Coco Gauff and other top-ranked players, expressed “deep disappointment” with the French Open’s prize-money structure and called on the majors to bring player compensation into line with regular ATP and WTA events.
Players say their share of Grand Slam revenue currently sits at around 15 percent — figures cited in player statements range from 14.3 percent to 14.9 percent at Roland Garros — and they are pushing for 22 percent, the share they receive at standard tour events.
Roland Garros organisers announced last month that overall prize money for the 2026 edition would rise by roughly 10 percent to 61.7 million euros, an increase of 5.3 million euros on last year.
Players counter that revenue at the tournament has grown far faster than their compensation, and that the percentage share has continued to slip even as the headline prize-money figure goes up.
Federation response. The French tennis federation said in a statement to AP on Wednesday that it regretted the players’ decision, saying the move “penalises all stakeholders involved in the tournament: the media, broadcasters, federation staff and the entire tennis community that enthusiastically follows each edition of Roland Garros.”
A meeting between tournament organisers and “some of the players’ representatives” is scheduled for Friday — the same day the media restrictions are due to take effect.
Looking ahead. Sabalenka warned at the Italian Open earlier this month that players might ultimately have to boycott the four majors to “defend our rights,” while Sinner has urged the Grand Slams to show “respect” to those who fill the courts.
With main-draw play starting Sunday, Friday’s meeting now looms as the first test of whether either side is willing to move before the dispute spills further into the tournament itself.
