Category News

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

Two weeks before his scheduled fight with Jake Paul, lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis is facing a new lawsuit following fresh allegations of attacking an ex-girlfriend.

Former girlfriend Courtney Rossel’s ex-girlfriend filed a civil lawsuit against the 30-year-old on Thursday in Miami-Dade County, Florida, charging the boxer with battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional emotional distress.

Rossel is asking for a jury trial and “of over $50, 000” (£38, 145).

On November 14 in Miami, YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul will take on American Davis in an exhibition match.

According to the new complaint, Davis had previously threatened to kill Rossel when she attacked her job on October 27.

Rossel claims that he “physically assaulted and choked” her in “at least” four previous ways.

Rossel is alleged to be seeking therapeutic treatment because of her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Two months prior, another ex-girlfriend dropped a domestic violence case against Davis.

In February 2020 and December 2022, he was also detained on domestic violence battery charges.

In connection with a criminal hit-and-run case that took place in his Baltimore hometown in November 2020, Davis violated the terms of his 90-day house arrest sentence and was sentenced to 44 days in prison in 2023.

Over the years, South African cricket has struggled to get past the line.

Both their international teams, both men’s and women’s, have consistently come oh-so-close to winning a significant trophy, only to fall at the final (or semi-final) hurdle.

The narrative has remained the same from 1999’s Edgbaston to Cape Town and then Dubai in 2023 and 2024. That is until Lord’s 2025, when the men’s team won the World Test Championship and caused intense emotions in South Africans who love cricket.

In Navi Mumbai on Sunday, the women’s side will face hosts India in the world cup final. With one albatross removed, the women’s side will now face them.

Nadine de Klerk, or “de Clutch,” as she’s come to be known this tournament, moves forward.

The Pretoria-born all-rounder scored stunning sixes in thrilling group-stage matches against India and Bangladesh to seal the victory. Not bad either, with a 17-ball 41 against Pakistan.

De Klerk refers to the tight matches as “if we went back a few years, we would probably end up on the losing side.”

De Klerk embodies a toughness for this South African team, which has helped them win two T20 World Cup championships in recent years.

De Klerk bowled a superb four-over performance of 1-17 in their 2023 victory over England. They shocked Australia in the UAE last year.

We’ve definitely changed to “we’re just going to rock up at a World Cup and hope we give one or two teams a good run for their money,” he said. We actually feel like we’re actually competing, she tells BBC Sport.

South Africa lost in the subsequent final twice, but de Klerk is aware that they are getting closer. “Last year, losing to New Zealand in that World Cup final left many people very emotional,” de Klerk said. Therefore, I believe winning would only have a positive impact on South African women’s cricket.

South Africa started their tournament winning run with a 69-run run against England in their opening match of the tournament, before winning for the first time in their history by five games and making it to the final four.

By 125 runs, they had already demolished England there. They are performing well.

De Klerk continues, “It’s part of my DNA to be very feisty and quite aggressive and hate losing,” in a statement about her group-stage batting exploits. Never do I ever feel like a game is over on a cricket field.

De Klerk, a highly successful javelin thrower in her youth, has discovered how to always display this resilience.

She said, “You just never give up, it does not matter how it looks,” as my dad always said.

Things won’t always go your way in life, I just believe that’s true of life in general. Even if you can sulk about it, your situation won’t really change.

“I sometimes think cricket can be won mentally,” I think. It’s possible to possess all the skills in the world, but it’s kind of pointless if you don’t believe or support it.

We possess the strength, mentality, grit, fight, and ability to defeat any opponent on any given day.