Roland-Garros is not “going to move” for 2026 prize money but swears that “everything is taken seriously” from the players’ messages
Amélie Mauresmo, tournament director at Roland-Garros, confirmed on Thursday that the French Open will not adjust its prize money for the 2026 edition in response to the players’ protest, but said that everything coming from the players was being taken seriously and that discussions would continue beyond the tournament. Asked by Tennis Majors on Thursday … Continued
Amélie Mauresmo, Roland-Garros 2026 | © JB Autissier
Amélie Mauresmo, tournament director at Roland-Garros, confirmed on Thursday that the French Open will not adjust its prize money for the 2026 edition in response to the players’ protest, but said that everything coming from the players was being taken seriously and that discussions would continue beyond the tournament.
Asked by Tennis Majors on Thursday whether players could expect any movement on this year’s purse, Mauresmo was clear: “There, we’re not going to move. We’re going to open discussions, and I think that’s what everyone wants.”
Speaking to the press at the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil shortly after the men’s and women’s draws, Mauresmo refused to detail which players would attend the Friday meeting scheduled between the federation and the representatives of RedEye, the name of the project led by the players.
Everything is taken seriously. We don’t tend to brush aside what comes from the players.
Asked whether the boycott was being taken seriously, Mauresmo said: “Everything is taken seriously. We don’t tend to brush aside what comes from the players. So we’re opening the discussion, and from that point on, I have confidence in the future. The discussions won’t be settled tomorrow [Friday] evening — but I think the discussions that will follow, and that will probably continue after the tournament, those discussions matter.”
She defended the federation’s position by pointing to the structural difference between Roland-Garros and the other majors.
“We have a model that is our own here at Roland-Garros, a tournament owned by the French Tennis Federation. So we have a model that is very different from what exists on the tours, whether ATP or WTA, even different from the other Grand Slams. We put in place everything we can in the players’ interest, we move our infrastructure too. We have prize money that has risen sharply, doubled in ten years, and risen again recently — not only for the top players but also for those in qualifying and the early rounds.”
The FFT’s prize money for the 2026 edition stands at €61.7 million, an increase of 9.53% on 2025 and approximately 45% since 2019, with the federation having directed a significant portion of the latest increases towards players eliminated in qualifying and the early rounds. The 20 leading players have demanded a 22% rise across the Grand Slams, against 13 to 15% currently.
The FFT, a non-profit federation, has offered direct dialogue with the RedEye player committee, with a meeting scheduled for Friday 22 May.
partial media boycott
Mauresmo also addressed the planned partial media boycott — twenty of the world’s top men and women, including Sinner, Djokovic, Sabalenka and Gauff, are expected to limit their pre-tournament press conferences to fifteen minutes and zero seconds on Friday in protest at Grand Slam revenue-sharing.
“We’re here, a little sad about this choice. I think it penalises everyone involved in the tournament — the players too, the fans, the press of course. The discussion is under way, it will be even more so tomorrow evening. We’re in that desire to exchange, to move forward, to recognise that everyone has a step to take towards the other. I’m confident about the exchanges that will take place. So in the interest of tennis in general, I’m rather confident.”
Pressed on her position as a former player who had been through similar debates, Mauresmo declined. “I have the position of director of the Roland-Garros tournament today. We’ll stop there,” she said, before letting it be known that she would only answer questions about the draw from then on. After less than four minutes.
