French Open bosses open dialogue with players over prize money

This comes after several top stars limited their media duties to just 15 minutes per day and raised the prospect of future Grand Slam boycotts.

The dispute centres around prize money distribution, with many players arguing that the sharp rise in revenue generated by Grand Slam tournaments has not been proportionally reflected in player compensation.

Tournament income from broadcasting rights, sponsorships, ticket sales and merchandise has continued to grow significantly in recent years, particularly across the four majors.

As a result, the French Open has increased its total prize money pool by 9.53% compared to the 2025 edition. That figure falls below the Australian Open's 16% increase and the US Open's 20% rise from last season.

Currently, the four Grand Slams allocate roughly 15% of their total revenue towards player prize money.

Players are reportedly pushing for that figure to rise to 22%, which would bring the events in line with the percentages distributed on both the ATP and WTA Tours.

"[The meeting] has allowed the FFT and the players' representatives to engage in a positive and transparent exchange on a number of issues," the French Tennis Federation commented during a statement released on Saturday.

"As these discussions require more time, all parties have agreed to continue the dialogue and to meet again in the coming weeks."

Players including Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner agreed to restrict their press conferences to 15 minutes, while also limiting themselves to a single interview with the host broadcaster until negotiations progressed further.

The growing frustration among players first became public in March 2025, when a group of top-20 ATP and WTA stars joined forces to demand a greater share of revenue, alongside increased influence over scheduling and some tournament operations.

French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo responded to the demands on the eve of the tournament, insisting the event already invests heavily in both infrastructure and player support.

"We have a model that is very different from what is on the Tours, be it the ATP Tours or the WTA," she said.

"Even a different model from the other grand slams. We put in place everything we can also in the interest of the players.

"We are also [improving] our infrastructure, we have prize money that has increased well, doubled in 10 years, and then also increased well in recent times, not only towards the top players, but also towards those who are more qualifiers and the first rounds of the table."

The 2026 French Open is scheduled to run from May 24 to June 7, with Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka entering the tournament as the top seeds in the men's and women's singles draws, respectively.

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