World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka said on Tuesday she is prepared to boycott Grand Slam tournaments to push for a fairer distribution of revenue, echoing demands from fellow tennis players.
“We are the ones who put on the show. Without us, there would be no tournaments, no entertainment. I believe we deserve to be paid better,” Sabalenka stated during a press conference at the WTA 1000 event in Rome.
“At some point, we will have to resort to a boycott if that is the only solution to defend our rights,” she added, describing some Grand Slam conditions as “truly unfair” for players.
In April 2025, leading ATP and WTA players signed a letter to the organizers of the four Grand Slams—Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open—demanding that the players’ share of revenue rise to 22%. On Monday, Sabalenka and world No.1 men’s player Jannik Sinner noted that while Roland Garros had increased its overall prize money for the 2026 edition by 9.5% to €61.7 million, “the portion allocated to players will likely remain below 15%, far from the 22% requested.”
Another top female star, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, recently called a boycott “a bit of an extreme solution.” She emphasized, “The most important thing is communication and dialogue with the organizers, and negotiation. Hopefully, before Roland Garros, there will be an opportunity for such a meeting.”
