The world's best tennis players criticize the Roland Garros prize pool

A group of the world's leading tennis players including Novak Djokovic, Janik Siner and Arina Sabaljenko expressed deep disappointment today with the prize money at Roland Garros, amid a long-running dispute with the organizers of the Paris Grand Slam tournament.

The second Grand Slam tournament of the season begins on May 24 in Paris, and players have said they have other demands that officials have not responded to, including better representation, healthcare and pensions.

Organizers announced last month that the prize pool had been increased by 10 percent to 61,7 million euros, or 5,3 million euros more than last year.

"The players' share of Roland Garros revenue has fallen from 15,5 percent in 2024 to 14,9 percent projected for 2026," the players' group said in a statement.

The champions in the men's and women's competitions will each receive 2,8 million euros, and the finalists 1,4 million euros. The semi-finalists will earn 750.000 euros, and the losers in the first round 87.000 euros.

A statement from the 20 players said that "the underlying numbers show a very different story", claiming that players are getting a smaller and smaller share of the value they help create.

"According to tournament officials, Roland Garros generated revenue of 395 million euros in 2025, an increase of 14 percent over the previous year, but the prize fund grew by only 5,4 percent, reducing the players' share of revenue to 14,3 percent," it said.

"With estimated revenues of more than €400 million at this year's tournament, the prize pool as a percentage of revenue is likely to still be less than 15 percent, far below the 22 percent requested by players to bring the Grand Slam tournaments on par with the ATP and WTA 1000 series tournaments," the statement added.

The same group of 20 players had already signed a letter sent to the executives of the four Grand Slam tournaments last year, demanding larger prize money and more influence over "decisions that directly affect players."

They said they remain united in their desire to see significant progress, both in terms of fair financial distribution and in the way the sport is governed.

They pointed out that they had not received a response to proposals on social protection, including pensions and long-term health insurance, and that no progress had been made on fair and transparent representation of players in the decision-making process at Grand Slam tournaments.

"While other major international sports modernize governance, align stakeholders, and build long-term value, the Grand Slam tournaments remain resistant to change. The absence of consultation with players and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are key to the sport's success," the statement said.