Twenty of the world’s top men and women, including Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, are expected to walk out of their pre-tournament press conferences at the 15-minute mark on Friday in a coordinated symbolic protest over Grand Slam prize money and player governance, multiple outlets reported on Wednesday and Thursday.
The figure is deliberate. Players chose 15 minutes to reflect the roughly 15% share of revenue that Grand Slam tournaments currently distribute to player prize pools — a number players want raised to 22%, in line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events. The protest will also extend to refusing interviews with the in-house Roland Garros media and the tournament’s primary rights holders, TNT Sports and Eurosport. Post-match flash interviews with broadcasters will still go ahead in order to avoid fines.
Paris pushes back. Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo confirmed on Thursday that Roland Garros will not adjust prize money for the 2026 edition in response to the protest. “We’re not going to move. We’re going to open discussions, and I think that’s what everyone wants,” she said. The French tennis federation also issued a statement to The Associated Press saying it “regrets the players’ initiative which penalises all stakeholders involved in the tournament: the media, broadcasters, federation staff and the entire tennis community.”
The numbers driving the dispute. Roland Garros raised its 2026 prize pool by 9.53% to €61.7 million (about $72.3 million), a rise of roughly 45% since 2019, with much of the latest increase directed to qualifiers and early-round losers. But the players argue their share of total tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to a projected 14.9% in 2026, with the tournament’s overall revenue estimated above €400 million. By comparison, the 2026 Australian Open raised its pool by 16% to $75 million, and the 2025 US Open pushed its prize money up 21% to a record $85 million.
Friday meeting set. A meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 22 between the FFT and the RedEye player committee. According to The Athletic, the talks will involve FFT president Gilles Moretton, Mauresmo, and former ATP player and ex-WTA chief executive Larry Scott, who is advising the players. Meetings with Wimbledon and US Open representatives are expected to follow during the tournament.
Wider stakes. The 15-minute walkout follows a letter signed earlier this month by 20 top-ranked players expressing “deep disappointment” over Roland Garros prize money, and a separate PTPA lawsuit filed against both Roland Garros and Wimbledon over credential disputes. With Australian Open already in dialogue with the player-led group, Friday’s meeting in Paris is shaping up as the first formal Grand Slam negotiation since the prize money row went public ahead of Rome.
