Players do not feel respected, Sinner says amid French Open boycott call

Players have threatened to boycott the French Open if their prize money is not ‌increased because they do not feel respected, world number one Jannik Sinner said on Thursday.

Fellow top-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka and defending Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff had supported the drastic step on Tuesday, saying players will likely receive less than ​15% of tournament revenue, well short of the 22% they demanded.

The dispute between the French ​Open organisers and players deepened after the tournament announced a 9.5% increase in prize ⁠money to 61.7 million euros ($72.19 million).

Players said in a statement that their share in the tournament ​revenue had decreased from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026.

“It’s more about respect, you know? Because ​I think we give much more than what we are getting back. It’s not only for the top players, it’s for all of us players,” Sinner told reporters ahead of the Italian Open in Rome.

“Of course, we talk about ​money. The most important is respect, and we just don’t feel it.”

Sinner said the issue had not ​been resolved despite the top-10 ranked men and women writing a letter to the Grand Slam organisers last year, ‌asking for ⁠a bigger share of the revenue.

“It’s not nice that after one year we are not even close to conclusion of what we would like to have,” he said.

“So I do understand players talking about boycott ‘cause it’s somewhere we also need to start. Now it’s been a very long time with this. ​Then we see in the ​future.”

Djokovic salutes Sabalenka’s leadership

Novak ⁠Djokovic also backed Sabalenka’s comments, praising her for stepping up as a leader.

“I’m glad that there is willingness from the leaders of our sport, like ​Sabalenka, to really step up and really understand the dynamics of how the ​tennis politics ⁠works and understand the nuances and really what needs to be done not only for her benefit and well-being, but for everyone,” he said.

“That’s a true leadership for me and I think she needs to maintain ⁠that. I ​salute that. That’s all I have to say about that.”

Djokovic, ​who has been vocal about players’ issues throughout his career, was one of the founders of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which ​said the row over French Open prize money shows the sport needs reform.