Aryna Sabalenka issues boycott warning as prize money row escalates

This comes after WTA world No 1 Sabalenka was among a host of leading stars who issued a statement criticising the prize money on offer at this year's French Open.

"Players' share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5 per cent in 2024 to 14.9 per cent projected in 2026," the statement read.

"As Roland Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create.

"More critically, the announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year.

"There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within Grand Slam decision-making."

At her pre-tournament at the Italian Open, Sabalenka made some strong comments as she addressed if players could boycott the Slams.

"I think at some point we will boycott it (Grand Slams), yeah," Sabalenka asserted.

"I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights. Let's see how far we can get⦠if it's going to take players for boycott.

"I feel like nowadays, we girls can easily get together and go for this because some of the things, I feel like, it's really unfair to the players.

"I think at some point it's going to get to this."

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