Top players united in disappointment over Roland-Garros prize money as revenue share falls
Tennis’s twenty biggest names have said, collectively and on the record, that Roland-Garros is growing its revenues faster than it is paying the people who generate them. The tournament begins in three weeks. The dialogue, by the players’ own account, has not started.
Roland-Garros trophies | © FFT
The world’s leading tennis players have issued a joint statement expressing deep disappointment over the prize money announced for the 2026 Roland-Garros tournament on Sunday. Tennis Majors learned from representatives of the players that the statement was issued collectively by twenty players from both tours, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek — and that the group is expected to convene for a crisis meeting in Paris ahead of Roland Garros, as they did at the same stage last year.
They write: “Players’ share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026.”
As Roland-Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create.
While Roland-Garros announced a headline prize money increase of 9.5% year-on-year, the players point to a more troubling underlying picture. Tournament officials reported revenues of €395 million in 2025 – a 14% year-on-year rise – yet prize money increased by just 5.4%. With revenues projected to exceed €400 million in 2026, the players state that their share “will likely still be less than 15%, far short of the 22% that players have requested to bring the Grand Slams into line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events.”
The verdict on what that means is unambiguous: “As Roland-Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create.”
Prize money is not the only grievance. The players describe two structural failures they say have gone unanswered for over a year. On welfare: “There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within Grand Slam decision making.”
“The Grand Slams remain resistant to change”
On governance: “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.”
On what comes next, the players are equally clear: they “will continue to advocate for constructive dialogue and for reforms that ensure the long-term health and integrity of professional tennis.”
The full list of signatories spans both tours.
- Women: Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek, Pegula, Keys, Paolini, Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Badosa and Andreeva.
- Men: Sinner, Zverev, Alcaraz, Fritz, Ruud, Medvedev, Rublev, Tsitsipas and De Minaur.
Roland-Garros begins on 25 May.
