A group of elite tennis players, including Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, have announced they will restrict their media obligations to 15 minutes throughout the entire opening week of Wimbledon in protest over prize money and revenue sharing. The demonstration follows a similar action during the French Open media day last month, but now escalates at the All England Club from Monday, June 29, to Sunday, July 5.
Players Demand Larger Revenue Share
The players are demanding a larger share of revenue distributed through prize money, contributions to welfare schemes, and a stronger voice in decisions that affect them. The All England Club recently announced a £10.7 million (20 per cent) increase in prize money for this year's Championships, bringing the total pot to £64.2 million. However, the leading player group highlights that this represents prize money as roughly a 14.4 per cent share of revenue, not the 22 per cent they are seeking.
They will now limit their contractual media commitments to 15 minutes, reflecting that Wimbledon currently pays slightly below 15 per cent of revenues to players as prize money, for the duration of the first week. Representatives of these players have written to Wimbledon's leadership to inform them of this planned action, while acknowledging and welcoming the 20 per cent increase in prize money compared to last year's tournament, reports the Express.
Key Grievances and Lack of Response
The group cited three key points when announcing the action. They stated they received no substantive response from Wimbledon over proposals on contributions to a player welfare fund and a formal player council, which were tabled a year ago. They also noted that the players' share of Wimbledon's protected revenues would stand at 14.4 per cent, 0.5 per cent lower than it was a decade ago. The group were also aware that recent public comments from Wimbledon's leadership have questioned the principle of a revenue-sharing formula, the very foundation of the proposal. According to the players, it is difficult to reach a structural agreement while the structural premise is being contested.
Wimbledon's Position
During a pre-tournament press conference earlier this month, All England Club chair Deborah Jevans argued that players ought not to be focusing on revenues when making their case about prize money, given the organisation's not-for-profit status and its significant subsidisation of the LTA, while also reinvesting funds back into the club and its facilities. She said: "Using revenue to determine prize money, it just makes no sense, and we have said that to Larry Scott [former WTA CEO who is representing the player group]. Revenues does not take into account the investments that we do. And as I've spoken about, we're not-for-profit, we're very different to a Masters 1000 event, everything goes back in the sport. So, I am frustrated that that message hasn't gotten across." Jevans and All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton expressed hope that players would acknowledge the significant increase in prize money. However, this has proved insufficient to prevent player action.
Impact on BBC Coverage
These 15-minute media protests look set to create a headache for the BBC. At the French Open, the majority of players held a traditional press conference before giving a single brief television interview with the host broadcaster, declining to carry out any additional filming with other rightsholders. World No. 1 Sabalenka even curtailed the English-language portion of her press conference to switch to her native tongue, ensuring she remained within the 15-minute allowance. As a result, the BBC could find itself with severely limited access to leading players participating in the protest throughout the opening week of the tournament. The All England Club is yet to respond to the players' plans to take action next week. Wimbledon gets under way on Monday, with the draw scheduled for Friday and media weekend set to begin on Saturday and Sunday.
