French Open Director Reacts to Planned Partial Media Boycott By Top ATP and WTA Players

On Wednesday (May 20), it was reported that top players in the men’s and women’s circuits are planning to protest over prize money by reducing their media appearances at the French Open. The aim is to intensify their public battle with the tournament organizers. French Open director Amelie Mauresmo admitted that she’s a little sad by how things are going.

According to reports, a few players are planning to take part in Friday’s press conference at Roland Garros but will walk out after 15 minutes, to symbolize their annoyance with the Slams’ allocation of 15% of their revenue to prize money. The rest of the players in the draw will then refuse to conduct additional interviews with the tournament’s media right partners (TNT Sports and Eurosport).

The relationship between top players and French Open organizers turned ugly when the tournament confirmed this year’s prize pot will be $72 million. Players were not pleased with it as it was below their 22% allocation for prize money from the revenue pool. In response, they have decided to keep their off-court activities to a bare minimum.

It has been described as a “work-to-rule strategy” as players have fully studied the tournament rulebook and concluded that they will not be fined by the tournament as long as they fulfill their contractual agreement to conduct short interviews after each match. However, there’s no report that all the players have agreed to the plan.

During the Italian Open, Aryna Sabalenka warned that players might be forced to boycott Grand Slam tournaments to pressure the organizers to heed their demands, but Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula maintained that this might not be the best route to settle the dispute. After the draw for the French Open, Amelie Mauresmo admitted that there are discussions underway with players:

We’re here, a little sad about this choice. I think it penalises everyone involved in the tournament — the players too, the fans, the press of course. The discussion is under way, it will be even more so tomorrow evening. We’re in that desire to exchange, to move forward, to recognise that everyone has a step to take towards the other. I’m confident about the exchanges that will take place. So in the interest of tennis in general, I’m rather confident.

Should the players carry out their partial media protest, it will surely affect the French Open. Grand Slam tournaments, notably the French Open, are among the most-watched events in sports, and when players fail to speak to the press, there’s little news, limiting their appeal to fans and tennis lovers.

Amelie Mauresmo says Aryna Sabalenka’s boycott threat has been taken seriously

Since last year, 20 leading male and female players, including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, have been in dispute with all four Grand Slams. They feel they are given an insufficient share of each tournament’s increasing revenues.

They demanded enhanced welfare and pension provisions and a greater say in determining the events schedule. But the discussion has been on hold for several months now. That led Aryna Sabalenka to warn about a brewing boycott by players. The French Open director revealed that the warning was taken seriously and they are in discussion with players:

Everything is taken seriously. We don’t tend to brush aside what comes from the players. So we’re opening the discussion, and from that point on, I have confidence in the future. The discussions won’t be settled tomorrow [Friday] evening — but I think the discussions that will follow, and that will probably continue after the tournament, those discussions matter.

The French Open will kick off on May 24 at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper are the notable absences in the men’s singles, while the women’s circuit sees all top 10 players compete for the championship. Sinner is the top seed and overwhelming favorite to win the men’s singles.

Also Read: Jannik Sinner’s Rome Final Called Boring, His Unbeatable Reputation Questioned: “He’s Not Playing Against Federers, Nadals, and Djokovics”