Sinner, Alcaraz and the tennis players’ letter against the Slam prizes

There is a match that is played away from the court and it is the one between the players and the organizers of the Slam tournaments. A battle made up above all of press releases and position statements, which has been going on for over a year now. At the center of the comparison is the distribution of revenues from the most prestigious tournaments. And on the eve of Roland Garros the tennis players’ front is once again making itself heard with a new letter. A group made up of the top twenty men and women in the ranking, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, expressed a “deep and collective disappointment” with the prize money expected in Paris. The issue is always the same: the percentage of revenues allocated to athletes. The organizers have announced an increase in prize money by 9.5%, up to 61.7 million euros, with around 2.8 million going to the winners of the singles draws. But for the players it’s not enough. According to their estimates, that figure represents just 14-15% of the tournament’s overall revenues, a share considered too low compared to the value they themselves help to generate.

question of percentage

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The comparison with other models was useful. In the ATP and WTA tour tournaments the distribution reaches around 22%, while in the main US sports leagues the share allocated to athletes is close to 50%. Numbers that fuel discontent and reinforce a position now shared by the top players: the Slams must change. In the joint statement, the players underline how, in the face of constantly growing revenues from Roland Garros – around 395 million euros in 2025 and over 400 million estimated for this year – their percentage is actually decreasing. “As Roland Garros heads to record record revenues, players are receiving an increasingly smaller share of the value they help create. Even more critically, the announcement does not address the structural issues that players have consistently and sensibly raised over the past year,” the letter read, as reported by the Times. “Grand Slam tournaments are resistant to change.” The letter also contains a complaint regarding the absence of dialogue on crucial issues such as the well-being of athletes and involvement in key decisions, starting with the calendar.

there is also nole

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The topics addressed are the same as those of the previous letters, but there is something new in the signatories: this time there is also Novak Djokovic, who had joined the March 2025 letter but not the September one. On the organizers’ side, however, the response was not long in coming. The French federation reiterated that the tournament is managed by a non-profit organization and that the proceeds are reinvested in the development of the tournament itself. But the feeling is that the game is far from over. Indeed, it could enter a new phase at the Italian Internationals. As reported by the Guardian, in Rome some protagonists of the circuit, including Ben Shelton and Jessica Pegula, are ready to return to the topic. The tug of war between players and Slams therefore continues.