Aryna Sabalenka has suggested that leading tennis players may resort to boycotting grand slam tournaments to resolve their ongoing dispute with the four major events, which she argues should provide players with a larger portion of their growing revenues.
Sabalenka's stance on player compensation
During her pre-tournament press conference at the Italian Open in Rome, Sabalenka stated: "I think at some point we will boycott it, yeah. I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights." She emphasised that players are the main attraction and deserve fair compensation for their role in generating tournament income.
Her comments follow a joint statement from the top 20 male and female players criticising the prize money levels at the French Open, which starts this month. Sabalenka argued: "Definitely when you see the number and you see the amount the players receiving ... I feel like the show is on us. Without us there wouldn't be a tournament and there wouldn't be that entertainment. I feel like definitely we deserve to be paid more percentage."
Player group actions and demands
Over the past year, the player group has published signed private letters and public statements directed at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, arguing that players receive an unfairly low share of revenue. They have also called for contributions to player welfare funds, including pension initiatives promoted by the ATP and WTA.
Iga Swiatek, the former world No. 1, offered more measured criticisms on Tuesday. "I think we've been pretty reasonable in terms of our proposal and getting the fair share of revenue," she said. "The most important thing honestly is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies so we have some space to talk and maybe negotiate. Hopefully before Roland Garros there's going to be opportunity to have these type of meetings and we'll see how they go."
Potential for unified action
Swiatek expressed uncertainty about whether players would actually boycott tournaments, describing it as "a bit extreme." She noted that players compete as individuals, making collective action challenging. However, Sabalenka believes players would unite if necessary. "Let's see how far we can get. If it's going to take players for boycott. I feel like nowadays, we girls can easily get together and go for this because some of the things I feel like it's really unfair to the players. I think at some point it's going to get to this," she said.
The dispute highlights growing tensions between players and grand slam organisers over revenue distribution, with players increasingly vocal about their demands for a fairer share.
