Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner among those lashing out at French Open prize money
Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek are among a host of leading players who have declared the French Tennis Federation are not giving them the prize money they deserve from the second Grand Slam of the tennis year.
Roland Garros chiefs stated announced an increase of 9.5% year-on-year in overall prize money for the 2026 edition of the tournament, with the singles champions each collecting €2.8million.
However that increase has not been enough for leading players, with the $5million given to the winners of last year’s US Open piling the pressure on the other Grand Slams to find a way to get their prize money up.
The collective move from some of the biggest names in tennis will add to the debate over prize money, with the players statement inspired by the reality that their share of the overall money generated at the French Open will have declined from 2024 to less than 15%, which is well short their 22% target.
“Players’ share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026,” read the statement backed by the game’s top players.
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“As Roland Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create
“More critically, the announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year.
“There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within grand slam decision-making.
“While other major international sports are modernising governance, aligning stakeholders and building long-term value, the grand slams remain resistant to change.
“The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sport’s success.
“The players who were signatories to the initial campaign remain united in their desire to see meaningful progress, both in terms of fair financial distribution and in how the sport is governed. They will continue to advocate for constructive dialogue and for reforms that ensure the long-term health and integrity of professional tennis.”
French Open chiefs have insisted their prize money offering is fair, as they offered this comment in response to the criticism from leading players:
“The total prize money for this year’s Roland Garros comes to €61.723million, up 9.53% compared with last year,” read a statement on their website.
“The tournament has decided to continue supporting the qualifying rounds, to help the players who need it most to finance their season and maintain their structure. The total prize money for the qualifying event has been increased by 12.9%.
“The prize money for the main draw is up 10.1% compared with 2025. A particular effort has been made for the first three rounds of the singles draw, with an increase of between 11.11 and 11.54%.
“The tournament also wanted to offer more prize money for all the other rounds of the main draw, with an increase of between 6.82 and 9.80% compared with 2025.”
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This is a full list of the players who have put their name to the campaign to change the prize money structure at Roland Garros:
Women: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva.
Men: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Alex De Minaur, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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