As the leading players continue to demand more prize money and player welfare, world number one Aryna Sabalenka has asked the Grand Slams to “come to the table.”
The top 20 men’s and women’s players, including those from the top 20, have asked the four majors, Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open, to give the field a bigger share of the tournament revenue.
The players’ group also wants a pledge to implement a significant change to the tournament structure and support provided by the Slams to protect their physical and mental health.
The Grand Slams insist on continuing to engage in constructive discussion about the sport’s future. In addition, they have vigorously defended what they currently offer the players in terms of prize money and state-of-the-art facilities.
The Slams represent the best sport in the world. I just want to see if there are any mutually beneficial solutions, Sabalenka told BBC Sport.
A growing number of famous players are venting their opinions in front of the public as they try to effect change, including Sabalenka, who won her fourth major singles title at the US Open last month.
The big names who spoke up about their concerns included Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Coco Gauff, who are also Grand Slam champions.
The players are frustrated and fear that the discussions have stalled because they believe they are not being heard at meetings with the Grand Slams earlier this year.
They are open to considering additional actions and have decided to put pressure on themselves by speaking out in public.
What do the stars want?
Each of the four Grand Slams has its own set of recommendations for the changes that the players would like to see implemented.
There are three main concerns:
- prize money: a higher ratio of prize money to revenue in recognition of the players’ financial contributions to the tournaments’ financial success, with more money dwindling down the draws.
- How much money will the Grand Slams contribute to the players’ pension, healthcare, and maternity pots?
- more consultation – the players want to have a say in important Slams decisions to help with exhausting schedules, late-night finishes, and protracted tournaments
Sinner stated earlier this week that he thinks the Grand Slams should “make a fair contribution to support all players,” with the men’s world number one demanding immediate action for player pensions and healthcare.
The Grand Slams currently don’t support player welfare initiatives. The leading players would like for the majors to contribute in the same way that the ATP Tour and WTA Tour did, spending an additional £60 million between them.
Ben Shelton, an American top-10 player, made an apparent point in an interview with the Independent about how different tennis and other sports are in terms of revenue and prize money.
The Grand Slam tournaments, according to players’ representatives, received between 12.5% and 20% of their winnings in 2024, which represent the pinnacle of the sport.
However, Grand Slam insiders contest those figures. According to some, the Australian Open calculates that it offers 23% of its revenue in prize money.
In contrast, NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB players receive between 40% and 50% of the revenue that their rivals earn from their respective major American sports leagues.
The tennis stars have asked each Grand Slam to receive a staged increase over the next five years, eventually bringing them closer to the 22% mark at some of the top ATP and WTA combined tour events, though they are aware that team sports are a completely different model.
In contrast to the existing tour player councils, a player consultation group at all Grand Slams has also been suggested to the tournaments.

Why are players now speaking out in public?
The Grand Slam powerbrokers and the group of players, who are led by former WTA chief Larry Scott, have a dialogue that just started this year.
The players requested a meeting in a letter sent to the four majors in March. The Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) filed a lawsuit against the governing bodies of tennis shortly after it was brought in for “anti-competitive practices and a flagrant disregard for player welfare.”
Six stars, including Madison Keys, Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, Coco Gauff, and Jannik Sinner, were among the six stars who met with the leaders of all four Grand Slams at this year’s French Open to talk about the issues.
Following that, individual meetings with each Slam at Wimbledon were held on the players’ behalf, including men’s world number three Alexander Zverev and women’s semi-finalist Belinda Bencic.
Bencic told BBC Sport, “Those conversations were constructive, and we followed up with suggestions on how our three requests could be resolved.”
The players’ group addressed proposals to each of the four Grand Slams in letters to each.
Each of the tournaments sent responses, with Wimbledon advising them to take the suggestions into account.
The players are “infuriated,” and one source claims that the Grand Slams are being unfair to them.
The responses we received regarding the three important topics that we are actively looking for improvement on have disappointed us, Bencic said.
What else is said during the Grand Slams?
The Grand Slams have been keen to emphasize how much they make, in terms of pay, benefits, and status, in their discussions with the players.
Over the past few years, prize money has increased at each of the four majors.
For instance, Wimbledon offered £53.5 million this year, more than twice as much as it did in 2014.
Wimbledon’s first-round prize money increased by 128% over the past ten years, by 309% in qualifying, and by more for those competing in the doubles and wheelchair events, thanks to greater distribution throughout the draws.
The All England Club told BBC Sport, “Our position is always that we are always open to having constructive discussions to achieve the best possible outcome for the future success of our sport and for the benefit of our players and fans.”
We have a regular exchange with the players’ representatives to hear their opinions, and these discussions will continue.
related subjects
- Tennis
- Jonathan Jurejko
 
- August 16
  







