Jessica Pegula offers update on a potential player protest at the US Open this year
Players have been far from happy with the redistribution of prize money at Grand Slams in recent years and it’s culminated in protests at the majors in 2026.
The players conducted a media boycott at Roland Garros, which meant that players only spoke to the press for 15-minutes following their matches.
They were set to do the same at Wimbledon, before the top players on both the ATP and WTA Tours made a U-turn as the Grand Slam kicked off.
There is still rumbling about a protest at the US Open this year, with some rumours about the star’s reportedly debating skipping the US Open Mixed Doubles.
That does not seem to be the case, but Jessica Pegula, who is a player representative on the WTA Player Council, has offered an update on a potential protest at the US Open this year.
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Speaking at the Cincinnati Open, Pegula said: “I think going into the US Open, we’re still waiting on a prize money announcement, so we haven’t really made any big decisions.
“They have definitely come to the table as far as wanting to change some of the stuff that’s been going on. I don’t know how much, how far they’re willing to.”
The US Open is yet to announced its prize money for the Grand Slam this year, although it is traditionally one of the largest in the sport.
Last year, the tournament provided $90 million in prize money, with $5 million of that going to the eventual winners Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka.
Confirmed teams for the US Open mixed doubles
- Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic
- Alexander Zverev and Taylor Townsend
- Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex Eala
- Daniil Medvedev and Diana Shnaider
- Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina
- Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic
The prize money has tended to be revealed in early August in recent years, so perhaps the delay is down to the tournament attempting to succumb to the demands of players to avoid a boycott or protest.
Players are looking for distribution of $93.5 million at Grand Slams, which is not far off what the US Open offered out for the 2025 tournament.
With several of the top players already signed up for the US Open Mixed Doubles, the Flushing Meadows Grand Slam could go ahead without a hitch at all this year.
The US Open is set to begin on Sunday, 23rd August and run until the men’s final, which takes place on Sunday, 13 September, with the first week set for a selection of exhibition matches, the mixed doubles tournament, and qualifying.
