The world's top 10 male and female tennis players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, have rejected an offer from three Grand Slams to form a player council. They demand substantive responses on prize money shares and player welfare before further meetings. The dispute highlights ongoing frustrations over revenue distribution and governance in the sport.
The tennis pay dispute intensified after the 2026 Australian Open when top players sent a letter last week to organizers of Wimbledon, the French Open, and the US Open. The correspondence rejected a proposed meeting at the Indian Wells Masters next month and an invitation to establish a Grand Slam player council, which was intended to give players more influence over tournament operations.
"Before committing to another meeting, it would be more productive for the grand slams to provide substantive responses, individually or collectively, to the specific proposals the players have put forward regarding prize money at a fair share of grand slam revenues, and player health, welfare, and benefits contributions," the letter stated. It further noted, "While the players recognise that governance structures can play an important role, they are concerned that prioritising council formation over the core economic issues risks becoming a process discussion that delays rather than advances meaningful progress."
The push for better pay began at last year's French Open, where a delegation including Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff urged the four majors to increase prize funds to 22 percent of revenue by 2030, aligning with ATP and WTA Tour standards. Currently, shares lag behind: the Australian Open's record A$85 million prize pool represents about 16 percent of its income, while Wimbledon's £50 million was 12.3 percent of £406.5 million last year.
Tennis Australia is absent from this exchange, having aligned with the Professional Tennis Players’ Association, which is suing the other three Slams in New York over alleged restrictive practices. Female players express particular disillusionment following the Australian Open, citing unconsulted installations of cameras in private warm-up areas—leading to a viral video of Gauff smashing her racket after a loss to Elina Svitolina—and director Craig Tiley's unsolicited proposal for best-of-five sets in women's quarterfinals onward from 2027.
Tiley remarked, "One of the things I’ve been saying now is that I think there should be three out of five sets for women." This has fueled broader concerns about player welfare and equity in tennis governance.
