Jannik Sinner has addressed the growing debate over Grand Slam prize money and expressed his disappointment at the revised French Open prize pool. Organizers of Roland Garros have increased the total purse by 10 percent to €61.7 million, but players believe the increase does not reflect revenue from the tournament.
Aside from the prize money, players also expressed concerns about the issues such as better representation, health promotion and retirement benefits. Sinner said the issue is more about respect than money, stressing that players feel they are giving far more than they are getting in return.
The world number one revealed that the top men’s and women’s players had written a joint letter but were disappointed by the lack of response and progress from the tennis authorities.
“It’s more about respect. I think we give a lot more than what we get back. It’s not just about the top players, it’s for all players, both men’s and women’s, and we’re very equal in that respect,” Sinner said at the Italian Open press conference.
“The top 10 men and 10 women wrote a letter and it’s disappointing that even after a year we’re not close to what we would like to have. In other sports, if the top athletes send an important letter, I really believe that within 48 hours you’ll not only get a response, but also a meeting,” Sinner said.
“Of course people talk about money, but the most important thing is respect, and we don’t feel that right now. I think the players are also disappointed with the result at Roland Garros, for example,” Sinner said.
SINNER HOLDS FINGERS
Sinner remained hopeful that the pay debate would improve ahead of Wimbledon and the US Open. But he admitted he understands why some players are considering a boycott and said the players finally had to take a stand after long-term frustration over the issue. Formerly, Aryna Sabalenka also threatened to boycott the French Open if the prize money has not been increased.
“We’ll see what happens next. We’ll know the prize money for Wimbledon in the coming weeks and we’re really hoping it gets better, and then of course there’s the US Open.”
“So I understand the players are talking about a boycott because at some point we have to take a stand as well. This has been happening for a very long time and we’ll see what happens in the future,” Sinner added.
The French Open is scheduled for May 24. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each take home €2.8 million, while the runners-up are set to receive €1.4 million. The losing semi-finalists will earn €750,000, with a guaranteed first round exit of €87,000. In the doubles, the men’s and women’s champions collect 600,000 euros, the winning pair in the mixed doubles take home 122,000 euros.
However, the overall increase has drawn criticism from players, particularly as it is much lower than the 20 percent increase introduced at last year’s US Open. Several players believe that the prize pool, measured against total tournament revenue, is effectively shrinking.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
07 May 2026 20:38 IST
