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Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are among 20 leading tennis players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam tournaments seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called "decisions that directly impact us".
The letter, a copy of which was obtained The Associated Press, is dated March 21 and begins with a request for an in-person meeting at this month's Madrid Open between representatives of the players and the four people to whom it was addressed: Craig Tiley of the Australian Open, Stephane Morel of the French Open, Sally Bolton of Wimbledon and Lew Sherr of the US Open.
At the bottom of the message are the handwritten signatures of 10 of the top 11 women in the rankings from the week of March 3 — Elena Rybakina's name is missing — and the full list of the top 10 men that week.
The women are the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka, Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva. The men are the No. 1-ranked Sinner — who is currently serving a three-month doping ban — 24-time major champion Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur.
Coco Gauff. (Source: Associated Press)
Of the 20, 15 have won at least one Grand Slam title or reached a major final.
The players outline three areas they want to focus on:
— Grand Slam tournaments should make financial contributions to player welfare programs funded by the two pro tours.
— Prize money should increase "to a more appropriate percentage of tournament revenues, reflective of the players' contribution to tournament value".
— The athletes should have more say in decisions "directly impacting competition, as well as player health and welfare".
News of the letter — which was first mentioned by French sports newspaper L'Equipe — arrived about two weeks after the players' association co-founded by Djokovic filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women’s and men’s professional tours, the International Tennis Federation and the sport’s integrity agency in federal court in New York. Djokovic was not listed as one of the plaintiffs, because he said he wanted to see other players step up.
That suit seeks more money for players, saying too little of the revenues end up in the athletes' hands, and lays out a series of other complaints about the way the sport is run.
The antitrust filing last month included a reference to a report "that the US Open generated more revenue from the sale of one speciality cocktail (NZ$22 million) than it paid to the men’s and women’s champions combined".
The US Tennis Association offered a record total of US$75 million (NZ$129 million) in total compensation — which includes prize money and payouts to cover players' expenses — for its Grand Slam tournament in 2024. That represented an increase of about 15% from the US$65 million (NZ$112 million) offered in 2023 at the US Open.
The association, co-founded by Novak Djokovic, says the groups are "a cartel" that holds "complete control over the players’ pay and working conditions".
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The five-time Grand Slam champion was verbally attacked during a practice session by a man who had sent her harassing messages via social media.
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Based on currency exchange figures at the times of the events, Wimbledon had about US$64 million (NZ$110 million) in prizes last year, with the French Open and Australian Open both at about US$58 million (NZ$100 million).
The next Grand Slam tournament is the French Open, with main-draw matches starting in Paris on May 25.
