Leading players including Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner set to continue prize money protest into Wimbledon
Tennis NewsWednesday, 24 June 2026 at 20:15
Leading tennis stars will continue their prize money protest at Wimbledon despite an increase of 20% to the prize money for this year's tournament.
Some players limited their pre-tournament media to 15 minutes at the recent French Open, but they will go one step further at Wimbledon. This was adhered to by the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. The latter two are defending champions at Wimbledon.
They will not only limit the time they offer at the forthcoming championships restricting their post-match appearances also to 15 minutes per a press release acquired by TennisUpToDate this afternoon. The 15-minute limit is meant to symbolise the 15% of revenue which the Grand Slams allocate towards prize money and most of the top 20 have adhered to this.
Novak Djokovic has recently spoken out on players rights and has long been behind the charge. But in this case he has not been involved. Earlier this month, players welcomed Wimbledon's 20% increase as a 'genuine and significant step forward'. The total prize money sits at £64.2m following the largest increase as a significant step forward.
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What players are arguing for
As per the press release, their arguments reflect three points:
1. Players’ proposals on contributions to a player welfare fund and a formal player council — which would benefit the full breadth of the profession, not just the players at the top of the game — have received no substantive response from Wimbledon since being tabled a year ago.
2. Players’ share of Wimbledon’s projected revenues stands at 14.4% — still below the 14.9% share of a decade ago, despite revenues growing by more than £280 million over that period. The players' July 2025 proposals asked for 16% of revenues this year— approximately £71 million — against an announced figure of £64.2 million.
3. Players are 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. It is difficult to reach a structural agreement while the structural premise is being contested.
Players like Sinner won't do as much media this time.
For the players it still stands short of the 16% of tournament revenue they are requesting. As well as campaigning for Grand Slams to link prize money to tournament revenue, they are asking for contributions to their benefit pool and a greater say in how events are ran.
The total prize money sum is about £7m short of what the players had been hoping for. A point refuted as per BBC by Deborah Jevans, the chair of the All England Club earlier this month.
"We don't look at percentages, we don't actually believe that is the right metric," she said as per BBC. "It is one metric that is based purely on revenue and doesn't take into account any costs and we cannot run a business in that way.
"We have expenses - we have spoken about infrastructure and investment in grass court tennis. You cannot run a sustainable business, and we have nearly been around for 150 years, just by looking at revenue. That is just plainly wrong."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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