Tennis players demand an increase in Grand Slam prizes

The year began with several hot topics on the circuit. One of the most relevant was the sanction for a positive doping test for Jannik Sinner, who avoided trial after reaching an agreement with the ITIA and received a three-month suspension. Additionally, the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) raised its voice to demand changes in the schedule, better conditions in tournaments with extreme temperatures, and a more equitable distribution of prizes.

Initially, the PTPA directed its criticisms at the ATP, the WTA, the ITF, and the ITIA, the four main entities in tennis. However, now the claim has extended to the Grand Slams. According to the French media L'Équipe, several top 20 ATP and WTA players have reportedly signed a document addressed to the organizers of the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, demanding a significant increase in prize money.

Según L´Equipe varios tenistas exigen mejoras en varios aspectos de los torneos

What the players are demanding

All tournaments, including the Grand Slams, award prize money to participants, increasing as they advance through rounds. Beyond the amounts allocated to the champions (Jannik Sinner, for example, earned 3.5 million dollars for winning the last Australian Open), the players' claim is that the distribution should be proportional to the revenue caused. L'Équipe reported that in 2024, Roland Garros allocated just 16% of its total revenue to prizes, a trend that repeats in the other Majors.

Según PTPA, los Grand Slams no reparten bien los premios

For this reason, the signing players, whose names have not yet been revealed, request that the percentage allocated to prizes approach 50% of the revenue. This new claim reinforces the stance that the PTPA had already expressed weeks ago, and everything indicates that it could lead to negotiations with the Grand Slam organizers to achieve changes in the distribution system.

Djokovic had already raised the issue

Novak Djokovic, co-founder of the PTPA alongside Canadian Vasek Pospisil, had already addressed the issue in early 2025 during a press conference in Brisbane. With a strong comparison, he pointed out: "I'm just going to share a fact: the profit distribution in all major American sports, like the NFL, the NBA, the MLB, or the NHL, is 50 percent. Maybe more, maybe less, but around that percentage. Ours is much lower."