French Open rejects money change despite threats from tennis professionals | Tennis news

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 Coco Gauff have led the way in protesting the pay cut at the French Open.

The prize money for the French Open will not change this year despite players’ complaints that they should be given a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said.

The top players have it criticized the organizers by reducing player earnings to 14.3 percent, compared to 22 percent for the ATP and WTA events.

To show their displeasure, many competitors at Roland Garros, where play begins on Sunday, plan to limit their interaction with the media to 15 minutes during Friday’s promotional event.

Mauresmo, a former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, said he remains open to discussions and is confident of a solution. A meeting is expected on Friday between the tournament organizers and the players and their representatives.

But when asked if there was a chance the prize money would change this year, Mauresmo said Thursday: “No, we’re not going to change anything. We’re going to start a discussion, and that’s what everyone wants.”

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka and fourth seed Coco Gauff were among the top players this month supported the strike the Grand Slams if they do not start receiving compensation.

Roland Garros organizers increased prize money by nearly 10 percent last year’s United States Open increased its pot by 20 percent and this year’s Australian Open by 16 percent.

The French Open’s total prize pool was 61.7 million euros ($72m), up 5.3 million euros ($6.1m) from last year, but players said their share of Roland Garros revenue would drop from 15.5 percent in 2024 to a projected 14.9 percent in 2026.

He said that the event would generate 395 million euros ($457.7m) in 2025, an increase of 14% year-on-year, but the prize increased by only 5.4%, reducing the player’s share to 14.3%.

Singles players at Roland Garros will each receive 2.8 million euros ($3.2m), an increase of 250,000 euros ($289,700) from 2025.

“I’m not going to tell you everything is going to be solved with the snap of a finger,” Mauresmo said. “But the discussion will continue, maybe after the competition.”