Coco Gauff Reflects on the Need for More Reforms in Grand Slam Events After Carlos Alcaraz’s Statement

Coco Gauff is into the third round of the China Open after winning her opening match in straight sets.

Coco Gauff Reflects on the Need for More Reforms in Grand Slam Events After Carlos Alcaraz’s Statement

Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff (via X/Universal Tennis)

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Coco Gauff has finally opened up about the need for reforms in Grand Slam tournaments after Carlos Alcaraz revealed that it has been a mess between the ATP and major events. This comes just months after top players from both ATP and WTA sent a formal letter to all four Grand Slams, asking for a fairer share of revenue and more benefits for players.

Gauff, Alcaraz, Emma Navarro, and Qinwen Zheng were among the signatories to the letter. But it has not been fully implemented. Grand Slam organizers still collect the lion’s share of revenues made from tournaments. Also, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) recently added the four major tournaments to their lawsuit.

The players’ association filed a lawsuit in March this year, revealing that players weren’t treated fairly on tour. The case was formerly only against the WTA, ATP, and ITF before the Grand Slam tournaments were added a few days ago. However, this season, each major tournament announced increases in its prize money.

Beginning with the Australian Open, they announced a 12 percent increase in the prize money pool in January. The Roland Garros saw a 5 percent bump with a tally of $65.9 million, while Wimbledon revealed a 7 percent increase in the total pool. The US Open recorded the biggest increase, which totaled up to $90 million, which was a 20 percent increase from 2024.

Nonetheless, Alcaraz revealed during his press conference at the Tokyo Open that players want a bigger share of the money pool. Reacting to it on Friday (September 26), Gauff revealed that despite not being among the players representative in the discussions with the Grand Slams, she agrees that there should be a higher percentage of prize money for players:

I like to keep most of the comments for him because they did have a meeting this week. I was not a part of it because I had practice at the same time. I did get a text message of a recap. I wouldn’t say I fully know all the details of what transpired as of last week. Overall, I know this started at Indian Wells this year when we all signed the letter, the top 10. I think the goal is just obviously increasing the percentage of prize money, but also making it better.

The debate about higher percentage for players have gotten more and more complicated in recent years. Some players have revealed that the money they are paid are far higher than an ordinary regular worker wage, while some have declared that players ranked outside the Top 200 need to be given more money.

Coco Gauff kicks off her China Open title defense with a straight-set win in the opening match

Coco Gauff booked her place in the third round of the China Open after absorbing an early pressure in the first set of the match against Kamilla Rakhimova. The defending champion saved eight break points in a tense first set before cruising to an excellent 6-4, 6-0 victory in an hour and forty-three minutes.

Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)
Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)

Gauff only committed five double faults throughout the match, which is far better than she did during the US Open. She revealed during her on-court interview that she was happy with the way she played on the court:

I’m happy with how I played. (Rakhimova) played well starting off, and I was just getting used to the conditions, but I thought it was a good match overall. I’m super happy to be back here in Beijing. Obviously, I had great memories last year, and I’m hoping to make some more good memories here.

Gauff will now take on Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the China Open as she hopes to defend the title. The American star has won one title this season, which came at the French Open. Since then, she has not been able to reach a tournament quarter-final.

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