The French Tennis Federation (FFT) has promised to present concrete proposals on increased prize money, player welfare, and representation within a month, following discussions with leading agents at the French Open on Friday. The talks came after world No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, along with many other players, limited their pre-tournament media briefings to 15 minutes in protest over what they deem insufficient prize money at the four grand slams.
The players chose to fulfil only mandatory duties—a press conference and an interview with the host broadcaster—rather than the usual 60 to 90 minutes of media activities. They are demanding that the slams increase their prize money allocation from about 15% of tournament revenues to 22%, matching the percentage paid by the ATP and WTA Tours.
Sources described Friday’s meeting, which included three FFT representatives, players’ representative Larry Scott, and a group of player agents, as positive, with one source stating that a single day of direct action achieved more than a year of behind-the-scenes discussions. The FFT has agreed to return with detailed proposals within a fortnight of the Roland Garros finals, with players insisting that any prize money increase must accompany talks on welfare and representation.
Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo defended the FFT’s prize money decisions, noting that the federation’s model differs from the Tours and other slams, and that prize money has doubled over the past decade, with increases benefiting lower-ranked players. Meanwhile, the All England Club has offered to establish a player council at Wimbledon, but players consider this insufficient. Further meetings with the All England Club and the United States Tennis Association are scheduled for next week in Paris, with players keeping options open for protests at Wimbledon, starting 29 June.
