Anastasia Potapova Criticizes Fellow Players’ Media Boycott at Roland Garros over Prize Money: “Little Bit Nonsense”

For Anastasia Potapova, boycotting the press conference due to the dispute with the Majors over prize money is nonsensical. Several top players have cut short their press conferences at Roland Garros in protest against Grand Slam events not paying them a higher share of the revenue.

They want a 22% share of the revenue generated from the Majors, the same as the one ATP and WTA allocate to their respective players. Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, and Iga Swiatek ended their press conferences after just 15 minutes. At present, the players get around 15% of the revenue from the Majors.

Potapova, ahead of her first-round match against Maya Joint, called out the players for boycotting the media.

If you want my honest opinion on that, media guys have nothing to do with our prize money. You don’t pay us, right? So how can we boycott somebody who’s also getting paid from the same tournament? So I think, for me, it’s a little bit nonsense. I’m not really into this. Here I am and talking to you as much as I want. As much as you want as well.

The 25-year-old recently played the semifinal of the Madrid Open, which, in fact, is also her best performance in a WTA 1000 event. Her best French Open performance (also her best Major performance) was a fourth-round appearance back in 2024.

Potapova has already played one final this year. At the Linz Open, she lost in three sets to Mirra Andreeva. The only time Potapova has made the semifinal of a big tournament was in this year’s Madrid Open, losing the match to Marta Kostyuk.

Ben Shelton’s opinion on prize money is different from Anastasia Potapova’s

Ben Shelton, who is set to lock horns with Daniel Merida Aguilar to start his campaign at the French Open, offered his views on the ongoing fight between the players and the Majors. The American ace appreciated the move and explained why such a stance from the top players is needed.

From what I’ve heard, especially the top players are willing to do much more than people think. Aryna was the first to speak publicly, showing that this is serious. The prize money is an important part of the conversation, but it’s not the only thing. We want to have a voice, be heard, and respected. There are also issues like pensions, bonuses, or benefits for players.

Sabalenka first mentioned the boycott during one of the press conferences at the Italian Open. Iga Swiatek, at that time, felt boycotting would be an extreme step. Novak Djokovic, even though he is not a part of this dispute, has given his full support to the players.

It’s not just about us making more money. Everyone knows how much these tournaments generate economically. For a player around the ranking positions of 150 or 200, a Grand Slam can make the difference between ending the year in the positive or negative.

Ben Shelton added

Shelton has never progressed beyond the fourth round of the French Open, and reached the stage last year, losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. But overall in Majors, the 23-year-old is a two-time semifinalist, reaching the stage at the 2025 Australian Open and the 2023 US Open.

If Shelton makes the quarterfinals, he could schedule a match against last year’s runner-up, Jannik Sinner, who is on a 29-match winning streak thanks to his victories in the first five Masters 1000s of the season. But Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, was forced to withdraw because of a wrist injury. He will also be skipping Wimbledon, where Sinner denied him the three-peat last year.

Also read: Alexandra Eala Eyes Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek Clay Secrets Ahead of Roland Garros Debut