2 days ago
The world’s starring players told Wimbledon officials that they expect a important summation successful prize money astatine this year’s Championships astatine a gathering that besides progressive representatives from nan US Open astatine Roland Garros connected Monday.
The All England Club is owed to corroborate specifications of this year’s prize money astatine a property convention connected 11 June, pinch nan players calling for a bigger emergence than past year’s 7% summation arsenic portion of their push for nan expansive slams to lucifer nan 22% of tourney gross paid by nan ATP and WTA Tours.
Many apical players, including nan world No 1s, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, staged a nationalist protestation by limiting their pre-tournament media activity to 15 minutes earlier nan commencement of nan French Open, symbolising nan 15% of gross presently paid by nan slams, though relations betwixt nan 2 parties look to person improved since.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) promised to return pinch actual proposals astir accrued prize money, subordinate use and practice wrong a period successful talks pinch starring agents connected nan aforesaid time arsenic nan media boycott a fortnight ago. Wimbledon and US Open officials besides made affirmative noises successful a associated gathering connected Monday. A root pinch knowledge of nan discussions described them arsenic “direct and productive”, adding that nan slams demonstrated a clear knowing of nan players’ demands – a fairer stock of revenues allocated to prize money, meaningful contributions to subordinate welfare, and a genuine subordinate consultation process.
Wimbledon’s prize money announcement adjacent week is now seen arsenic a pivotal infinitesimal successful a conflict that has rumbled connected for complete a year. The players will beryllium looking for a double-digit summation aft expressing disappointment astatine nan French Open’s 9.5% emergence to a full money of £52.6m past month, which led to their first nationalist protest.
Wimbledon already pays much than Roland Garros successful prize money pinch a full money of £53.5m, double what was offered a decade ago, though nan All England Club’s revenues person accrued from £170m to £406.5m complete nan aforesaid period.
In a motion of nan sport’s fractured governance, Tennis Australia is not progressive successful nan talks successful Paris arsenic nan Australian Open has aligned pinch nan Professional Tennis Players’ Association, which is suing nan different 3 expansive slam governing bodies successful New York’s territory tribunal complete alleged restrictive practices successful a abstracted dispute.
