The world's top tennis stars are scaling back their Roland Garros press appearances at the 2026 French Open to protest tournament revenue distribution.
Instead of initiating a full boycott at Roland Garros, players on the men's and women's sides plan to restrict their media availability starting with Friday's pre-tournament press conferences.
Leading athletes — including world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and top-ranked US star Coco Gauff — previously raised the prospect of a Grand Slam boycott while competing at the 2026 Italian Open. Locker room discussions have now shifted toward a strategic "work-to-rule" media protest instead.
Participants plan to limit their pre-tournament press interactions to exactly 15 minutes, a timeframe symbolizing the estimated 15% of total tournament revenue that Grand Slams allocate to the prize money pool.
Furthermore, players plan to bypass extra interviews with primary tournament broadcasters at Roland Garros, fulfilling only mandatory on-court flash interviews to avoid financial penalties.
How Prize Money Concerns Sparked a French Open Media Boycott
The underlying conflict of this latest French Open protest centers on shifting revenue percentages.
Organizers boosted the total 2026 Roland Garros prize pot by 9.5% to €61.7 million. However, players point out that overall tournament revenues rose at a much faster rate.
While French Open revenue grew by 14% to €395 million last year, prize money only increased by 5.4% — and the players' share actually dropped to 14.3%.
Now, a player coalition is demanding a 22% share to match the standards of combined ATP and WTA 1000 events. They're also fighting for long-term health benefits and pensions.
Stars like Coco Gauff have explained the bigger prize purse is meant to benefit everyone, especially lower-seeded athletes who are required to pay for travel expenses and the teams' salaries.
"When you look at the [players ranked] 50 to 100, 50 to 200, how much money each Slam makes, it's kind of unfortunate," Gauff said. "[Many of] the 200 best tennis players are living paycheck to paycheck."
The French Tennis Federation expressed regret over the protest, but scheduled talks with player representatives to address the ongoing dispute as the Roland Garros tournament forges on.
