Players would boycott the French Open due to dispute over prize money: Sabalenka, world number one

Players would boycott the French Open if the prize money at the clay court Grand Slam is not increased, women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka said on Tuesday, with Coco Gauff also voicing her support for the drastic measure.

The threat deepens a dispute between players and Roland Garros organizers over the distribution of prize money, despite this year’s tournament offering a 9.5% increase to €61.7 million.

Several top players issued a statement on Monday saying they were receiving prize money that would likely still represent less than 15% of tournament revenue, well below the 22% they were demanding to match the 1,000 ATP and WTA events combined.

Asked how far the players could take their demands, Sabalenka told reporters at the Italian Open: “I think at some point we will boycott it (the tournament), yes. I feel like that will be the only way to fight for our rights.”

“Let’s see how far we can go, if it’s going to be necessary for the players to boycott… Some of the things, I feel are really unfair to the players. I think at some point we’ll get to this.”

However, the world number one sounded a note of hope about the ongoing negotiations.

“I really hope that in all the negotiations we are having, at some point we reach the right decision, the conclusion that everyone will be happy with,” he added.