French Open: Disgruntled stars say ‘pay more or we interact less’

You know something is off when news of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic appointing a new coach or seven-time Major winner Carlos Alcaraz pulling out from both French Open and Wimbledon due to a right wrist injury don’t make tennis headlines like it should. True, Jannik Sinner has been hogging the limelight in recent months during his record-breaking Masters 1000 title-run and is the odds-on favourite to win his first French Open as well, but none of these developments are in the spotlight as we head into the second Grand Slam of the year.

Instead, it is the rising murmurs of discontent among top players regarding their share of the prize money that has grabbed all the attention. L'Equipe newspaper reported Wednesday that many players competing at Roland Garros, which begins Sunday, are planning to limit their conversations with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday's traditional pre-tournament media day.

The French tennis federation (FFT), which organizes the French Open, said in a statement to The Associated Press that it regrets the players' initiative "which penalizes all stakeholders involved in the tournament: the media, broadcasters, federation staff and the entire tennis community that enthusiastically follows each edition of Roland Garros."

For the record, men’s No 1 Sinner, women’s top-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka and No 4 and defending French Open champion Coco Gauff were among leading players who threatened a boycott of the Slams earlier this month if they didn't start receiving more compensation. According to them, the players' share of revenue at the French Open had been reduced to an alleged 14.3 per cent – compared to 22 per cent at other ATP and WTA events. They say the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4 per cent, reducing players' share of revenue to 14.3 per cent.

The players are also seeking better representation, health options and pensions from the four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. The Australian Open this year increased the players' compensation by 16 per cent, and the US Open prize money last year went up by 20 per cent.

While conversations have mostly been about boycotts and disgruntled players, 38-year-old Djokovic, a three-time winner at the French Open, appointed Viktor Troicki, his former Serbian teammate and the man who guided him to Olympic glory in 2024, as his new coach. With Sinner in such commanding form leaving all his supposed rivals like world No 3 Alexander Zverev and No 4 Djokovic in the dust, it really would take a bad day in the office for the Italian to not win his first title at Roland Garros.

The woman’s draw is a bit more open, with Sabalenka not having a great run on clay in the lead-up and the likes of world No 2 Elena Rybakina snapping at her heels. And of course, never count out world No 3 and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, especially on this surface.