New York: Elena Rybakina (R) and Aryna Sabalenka react during the awarding ceremony for the women's singles final match between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan at the 2026 US Open tennis championships in New York, the United States, Sept. 12, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)
New Delhi, September 14 (IANS) The world’s leading tennis players, who have been protesting for a greater share of Grand Slam tournament revenues, said that the public phase of the campaign has "come to a close" as the formal Grand Slam Player Advisory Council exists to carry the work forward.
Last month, the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, The Championships, Wimbledon, and the US Open announced the formation of a Grand Slam Player Advisory Council to serve as a forum for direct communication, feedback and collaboration between the Grand Slams and players.
“Now that a formal council exists to carry this work forward, the public phase of the campaign led by the unified group of top players comes to a close,” the players' statement read as quoted by The Guardian.
The Council, launched after the 2026 US Open, will further strengthen the partnership between the Grand Slams and the players, with a focus on player input into sporting matters at the four Grand Slam tournaments and on advancing the shared goal of greater player support.
The statement added, “Players reserve the right to restart the campaign should the Council fail to deliver on these aims. The players involved in the campaign will be making no further public comment as a unified group on these issues at this time. The players will now work directly with the grand slams to establish the council, through which players themselves will be directly consulted and able to negotiate on an ongoing basis.”
The players’ statement claimed they had achieved victories in all three areas of their campaign, as the US Tennis Association agreed to make a USD 2 million contribution to player welfare at this year’s US Open. However, the players had asked for 22 per cent of tournament revenues.
“Since the players’ formal proposal was submitted on 31 July 2025, prize money across these grand slam tournaments has grown to USD 415.6m in total, with players estimating that more than $30m of that reflects incremental gains above the rate of growth the years before the campaign began,” the players said.
“This stands as a testament to the gains made possible by concerted, unified player action in an individual sport and by constructive dialogue with the grand slams and tournament organisers. The players look to the council to build on this progress and continue pursuing the aims not yet fully achieved.”
Players protested over prize money by reducing their media appearances at the French Open. A similar action was planned for Wimbledon, but the players ended their boycott of Wimbledon media duties after "constructive meetings" with the All England Club.
Besides calling for a greater share of the tournament revenues from the four major tournaments to be paid in prize money, the players also sought contributions from the grand slam events for player welfare and pension provision.
