Tennis players end protest over Wimbledon prize money

Representatives of leading tennis players, such as world number one Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, announced on Monday that the protest over Wimbledon’s prize money has concluded.

During the first week of Wimbledon, the players had agreed to restrict their press conferences to 15 minutes, extending a comparable protest that began at the French Open in May.

They have argued that players receive only 15 percent of Slam revenues and have requested a 22 percent share.

Wimbledon raised its prize money by 20 percent, a change the players called a “welcome step forward.”

Prior to the grass‑court Grand Slam, they issued a statement noting that “Wimbledon currently pays slightly below 15 percent of revenues to players as prize money,” thereby reaffirming their protest.

On the opening day, their representatives reported that “players have confirmed they will resume normal tournament media duties” following “constructive meetings.”

The statement added, “This decision is based on Wimbledon’s commitment to return with specific proposals… The underlying matters remain unresolved, and players will carefully evaluate the proposals once received.”

The statement concluded that “Dialogue with Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams will continue.”

All England Club chief Sally Bolton said she was relieved that the protest would not continue during the tournament.

She told reporters, “I think it’s great news that we and they can now just concentrate on the championships and on the tennis.”

She added, “We’ve had some really fruitful conversations over the weekend, they’ve been really positive, we’ve effectively agreed on what we had agreed before, which is that we want to continue in positive dialogue.”

Wimbledon singles champions will receive £3.6 million ($4.76 million), up from the £3 million earned by 2025 champions Iga Swiatek and Sinner.

Three‑time semi‑finalist Sabalenka said last week, “I really hope we can finally get to the table and really get it done, come to a conclusion that everyone is going to be happy with.”

She added, “Hopefully we’ll never have to do this again.”