LONDON — In a bold move, elite tennis players at Wimbledon are set to continue their stand against prize money disparities by limiting their media engagements during the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam next week.
This decision translates to a 15-minute window for player interviews following their matches in the tournament’s opening week.
The movement initiated during this year’s French Open, where athletes voiced concerns that prize money represented a mere 14.3 percent of the tournament’s overall revenue.
In response, Wimbledon has raised its total prize money by 20 percent for this year, with each singles champion set to earn $4.75 million.
Nevertheless, a statement released Wednesday by an advisory body for the players confirmed that the “direct action protest” will persist throughout the initial week at the All England Club.
“Players will restrict their media commitments to 15 minutes per match — reflecting that the current prize money distribution falls slightly below 15 percent of Wimbledon’s revenues,” the statement elaborated. “Following in-depth discussions with players from both tours, representatives have communicated their planned action to Wimbledon’s leadership, acknowledging the recently welcomed 20 percent prize money increase compared to last year’s Championships.”
The announcement highlighted that players’ share of Wimbledon’s estimated revenues this year stands at 14.4 percent, dipping below the 14.9 percent share from a decade ago.
Last year, players formally requested a share of 16 percent of total revenues.
Details on which players will participate in the demonstration were not disclosed.
At the French Open, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek were among the elite female players restricting media engagements, alongside men’s No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Notably, Novak Djokovic chose not to partake in the protest.
When announcing the 20-percent prize money boost two weeks ago, All England Club chair Deborah Jevans expressed hope that it would appease the players.
“We’ve thoroughly examined every round, including qualifying,” Jevans stated at the time. “My hope is that the players recognize the significance of this increase.”
