Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic to lead French Open – Sports News
Coco Gauff, Novak Djokovic and different prime tennis stars will stage media walkout protests (Image: Getty)
Coco Gauff, Novak Djokovic, and prime tennis stars will lead the charge with media walkout protests on the French Open amid a row over Grand Slam prize money and acceptable participant advantages. Roland-Garros is already underway in Paris, with qualifying matches happening on Thursday forward of the principle draw.
The French Open has already seen some heated drama, with more anticipated because the event kicks into a increased gear. Two Roland-Garros qualifiers virtually got here to blows following their match because the umpire was compelled to rush down from his chair.
Now, one other combat will happen — this time between tennis gamers and event organizers. The prime 20 male and feminine gamers, together with Djokovic, Gauff, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and others, are main a protest in opposition to the French Open over prize money and acceptable participant advantages. That’s regardless of the French Open’s 2026 prize pool rising 9.5 p.c from 2025 to $72.3 million.
Players are stated to have settled on a 15-minute media session as a symbolic nod to the Grand Slams’ typical observe of allocating round 15 p.c of income to prize money. Leading gamers have been advocating for that share to increase to 22 p.c, aligning it more intently with the distribution seen at mixed ATP and WTA occasions.
The French Tennis Federation launched a assertion forward of deliberate walkouts. “We regret the players’ decision, which impacts all of the tournament’s stakeholders: the media, broadcasters, the FFT and the entire tennis community, all of whom follow each edition of Roland-Garros with great enthusiasm,” stated a French Tennis Federation (FFT) spokesperson.
Djokovic is the all-time singles Grand Slam report holder within the Open period (Image: Getty)
“The FFT recognizes the importance of the players’ contribution to the tournament’s success, and wishes to maintain close ties with them. In early May, it proposed a meeting that will take place on Friday 22 May with some of their representatives.
“The FFT is ready to engage in direct and constructive dialogue on governance issues, with a view to giving players a greater say in decision-making, contributing to players’ welfare and evolutions in the value-sharing model.”
According to The Athletic, discussions are scheduled for this week and will embrace Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation; Amelie Mauresmo, event director of the French Open; and Larry Scott, a former ATP participant and former WTA chief government now advising the gamers. Meetings with officers from Wimbledon and the US Open are anticipated within the close to future.
Grand Slam boycotts
At this month’s Italian Open, ladies’s world No. 1 Sabalenka instructed tensions may escalate, saying gamers might “at some point” boycott one of the majors.
However, world No. 3 Iga Swiatek described that risk as a “bit extreme,” while reigning French Open champion Gauff indicated she would back collective action, stating she would support a strike “if everybody have been to transfer as one and collaborate.”
On the boys’s aspect, world No. 1 Sinner argued that gamers are nonetheless not receiving the extent of respect they deserve concerning prize money at Grand Slam occasions.
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