The group of top tennis players lobbying for a greater share of Grand Slam revenue in prize money will continue their public push during Wimbledon. In a press release distributed by Teneo, a global communications firm retained by the group to lead its public messaging, the group announced Wednesday that it will limit its “contractual media commitments” at Wimbledon to 15 minutes for the first week of the tournament, following a similar action during the French Open’s pre-tournament media day last month.
Signatories of the player group, which is being advised by former WTA chief and former Pac-12 head Larry Scott, have varied since their lobbying effort began more than a year ago, but it is understood that the majority of the ATP and WTA’s top 20 ranked players intend to participate in the upcoming demonstration (with one notable exception Novak Djokovic, who distanced himself from the effort during the French Open). Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among the notable players to participate in the first protest at the French Open.
The players chose 15 minutes as the cutoff point because, their representatives say, Wimbledon currently pays less than 15% of tournament revenues to players. The player group had sought what they say is 16% of Wimbledon’s projected revenues in the athlete compensation pool this year (£71M, or $93.4M), but Wimbledon’s purse for the 2026 Championships, despite representing a record for the event and rising 20% year-over-year, fell short of that at £64.2M, or $84.5M.
An spokesperson from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which organizes Wimbledon, commented: “We are surprised and disappointed by this action. Wimbledon puts the players at the heart of all our decisions and we invest significantly in them every year. This year’s total prize money fund has increased by 20% to £64.2 million, which is the largest increase in our event’s history. This is alongside investing hundreds of millions of pounds in upgrades to our player facilities as part of a three-year transformation to create a world class player performance environment.”
The players, who are also seeking contributions from each of the Grand Slams to welfare benefits and the formation of player councils for each event, plan to continue meeting with Grand Slam organizers separately, including the U.S. Tennis Association, which owns and operates the U.S. Open.
