Sabalenka criticizes the prize pool at Grand Slams: Without us, there would be no tournaments and no fun

World number one tennis player Arina Sabalenko of Belarus said today that players should boycott competitions if they do not start receiving a larger share of the income from Grand Slam tournaments.

Sabaljenko and world number one Italian Janik Siner are among the leading players, mostly from the top 10 in the rankings, who expressed deep disappointment with the Roland Garros prize pool on Monday.

"Without us, there would be no tournament and there would be no fun. I think we definitely deserve to be paid a higher percentage. I think we will boycott at some point and that will be the only way to fight for our rights," Sabaljenko told reporters in Rome, after celebrating her 28th birthday.

Players have also demanded better representation, healthcare and pensions from the Grand Slam tournaments - the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Organizers of the upcoming Roland Garros 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 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.

Four-time Paris Grand Slam champion Iga Swiontek of Poland said that "the most important thing is proper communication and discussion with the governing bodies to create space for discussions and perhaps negotiations."

"I hope that before Roland Garros there will be an opportunity for such meetings and we will see how it goes. But boycotting the tournament, I think that is a bit of an extreme situation," she said.

Italian Jasmine Paolini hinted that a boycott could be an option.

"If we all agree, and I think we do, men and women are now united, that's something we could do," she said.

Paolini added that the WTA and ATP organizations, which organize other tournaments, have done much more than the Grand Slams to provide players with benefits, such as maternity leave and retirement plans.

"There are a lot of things that the Grand Slams don't do that the WTA and ATP do," Paolini said.

Competition at the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, Roland Garros, begins on May 24th in Paris.