Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Co Slam Roland Garros for Shrinking Prize Money

The French Open posted a record revenue ahead of this year's edition but declines in players' revenue share.

Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Co Slam Roland Garros for Shrinking Prize Money

Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/4K JANNIK SINNER, Ground Pass)

A group of top players, including Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic, has expressed deep disappointment with the level of prize money at the 2026 Roland Garros amid a lingering dispute between players and the Grand Slam tournament organizers. This comes just a few weeks before the tournament kicks off.

The clay-court Grand Slam event (Roland Garros) starts on May 30 in Western Paris. The players wrote in a statement that they have demanded that the officials of the French Open address better representation, health, and pensions. Their call came just days after the French Open announced its prize money.

The prize money increased by about 10 percent for an overall pot of €61.7 million ($72.1 million), which total amount up €5.3 million. The men’s and women’s singles champions for the French Open will collect $3.2 million. However, that is nowhere close to the $5 million that the US Open gave the winners last year.

The players have been piling pressure on the other Grand Slam tournaments to find a way to get their prize money up just the way the US Open did, but that has been opposed. In fact, the Players’ share of the Roland Garros revenue declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026.

Roland Garros’ $72.1 million is its record revenue, but players are unhappy that a declining share of their value doesn’t make them feel involved in the wealth which they help create. In a statement signed by the top players including, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Sabalenka, and others it is believed that Roland Garros has done nothing to address the structural issues that players have raised:

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.

The bid to seek better representation by top players began more than a year ago. It has been reported that they have met with all the organizers of the Grand Slam tournaments, with some claiming that the lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players needs to be resolved before a critical look into the players’ demands.

The French Open chiefs react to the top players’ criticism about its prize money

The US Open made some strategic changes to attract more fans by reforming the mixed doubles event. The event was a big success for the USTA as top players including Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, and Novak Djokovic took part in it. This year, the Australian Open had a One Point Slam, which was perhaps one of the biggest talking points about the event.

Amelie Mauresmo (via X/French Open)
Amelie Mauresmo (via X/French Open)

The French Open insisted that they won’t add any exhibition event or reformat any of the categories. It stated that the tournaments stand for their traditions. After the aforementioned released players’ statements about their prize money, the French Open chiefs insisted that what they offered was fair to all players:

The total prize money for this year’s Roland Garros comes to €61.723million, up 9.53% compared with last year. The tournament has decided to continue supporting the qualifying rounds, to help the players who need it most to finance their season and maintain their structure. The total prize money for the qualifying event has been increased by 12.9%. he prize money for the main draw is up 10.1% compared with 2025.

Alcaraz, the singles Roland Garros champion, would not feature at this year’s event following a wrist injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open. He’s expected to be back on the court during the grass-court season. This allows his arch-rival, Jannik Sinner, to win the tournament for the first time.

Also Read: Jannik Sinner Sees No Reason to Skip Rome Masters Despite Back-to-Back Tournaments