Top 20 Tennis Stars Say They Are Worth More In Letter To Grand Slams

The vast majority of the top 20 tennis stars on the ATP and WTA tours have written to the four Grand Slam tournaments asking for an increase in prize money. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are among the signatories of the letter first reported in French newspaper L’Equipe.

The missive asks for an in-person meeting in late April during the Madrid Open between representatives of the players and the heads and CEOs of the four Slams to whom the correspondence was addressed, including Sally Bolton from the All England Lawn Tennis Club and Craig Tiley of the Australian Open. Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, is the only top 10 player missing from the list.

A copy of the letter was obtained by the Associated Press on Thursday and centers on three main areas for progress. It states that the Grand Slam tournaments should make financial contributions to player welfare programs funded by the two professional tours. It also requests that prize money should be raised to “a more appropriate percentage of tournament revenues, reflective of the players’ contribution to tournament value. “ Thirdly, the game’s elite ask that their community should have more input in decisions “directly impacting competition, as well as player health and welfare.”

This correspondence comes hot on the trail of the lawsuit taken out by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) against the main tennis authorities. The breakaway players union, co-founded by Dkojovic, has accused the governing bodies of abusing their power and acting like a cartel. The lawsuit also ripped into the four majors which were accused of profiting “at the players’ expense, to the detriment of fans and the game.” The follow-up clearly deserved a specific action which has now been delivered with a growing sense of unity from the big names of the sport.

In 2016, Djokovic claimed prize money should be “fairly distributed” based on “who attracts more attention, spectators and who sells more tickets”, intimating that men were the main drivers of the latter. He later apologized for his “erroneous” comments. The Serb has used his position to express concern about the increasing demands of the sport and what happens to players after the cameras stop rolling. In 2007, Wimbledon joined New York, Melbourne, and Paris in paying an equal amount to both genders.

The Grand Slams have certainly increased their compensation as each strives to make their experience bigger and better. Wimbledon’s prize pool increased by 12 per cent last year to $64 million. The 2024 Australian Open offered a a similar rise to over $60 million while the U.S. Open offered a record $75 million last summer.

With the influence of Saudi money coming into the sport, and the country’s hosting of the WTA Tour Finals from 2024-26, the current Slams know they have to up their game. Sinner won the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in October at Riyadh, taking home a cool $6 million, the largest ever winning prize in tennis history.

While elite players can get handsomely paid for their victories, the cost and expense of life on the circuit for lower-ranked players is problematic. Olympic champion and World No. 8 Zheng Qinwen suggested that tennis should follow the model of the NBA where players earn in aggregate about 50% of basketball-related income.

It’s a sentiment echoed by men’s World No. 6 Casper Ruud. “If you compare with other major sports around the world — NFL, MLB, NBA — they are closer to 50 percent revenue sharing. You look at the USTA or the US Open, they make over $500 million and they pay $65 to $70 million,” the Norwegian told AFP during the latest edition of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in Nimes.

Ruud estimates that players only get about 15 per cent of the Slam’s revenue and while a 50/50 split is unlikely, the 26-year-old suggested even a small increase will go a long way, especially for those who lose in qualifiers and in early rounds.

The United States Tennis Association responded in a written statement saying it is open to meeting on site or at any other location and time to increase the player and fan experience.

“The USTA is incredibly proud of the U.S. Open’s leadership in player compensation throughout its history and our support to grow professional tennis not only in the United States but worldwide,” wrote Senior Director of Corporate Communications Brendan McIntyre. “This includes offering equal prize money to men and women for more than 50 years and awarding the largest purse in tennis history at the 2024 U.S. Open.”

Player power is now increasing the pressure on a sport that needs to look after its profile and reach as the Big Four era is replaced by the Next Gen and a new landscape.