World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka calls for boycott if players don't get bigger cut of Grand Slam revenues

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka believes tennis players should organize a boycott if they don't start receiving a bigger share of tournament revenues at the Grand Slams. The likes of Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini are prepared to protest, too.

Sabalenka and fellow No. 1 Jannik Sinner were among leading players, most of them ranked in the top 10, who issued a statement on Monday expressing "deep disappointment" over the French Open prize money.

"Without us there wouldn't be a tournament and there wouldn't be that entertainment. I feel like definitely we deserve to be paid more percentage," Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, said Tuesday at the Italian Open in Rome.

"I think at some point we will boycott it. I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights," Sabalenka added on her 28th birthday.

The players are also seeking better representation, health options and pensions from the four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

French Open organizers announced last month they were increasing overall prize money by about 10 per cent for an overall pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million US), with the total amount up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players' statement said, "the underlying figures tell a very different story," claiming they will receive a smaller share of tournament revenues.

The players claim their share of Roland Garros revenue has declined from 15.5 per cent in 2024 to 14.9 projected in 2026.

Gauff, the defending French Open champion, cited a landmark new WNBA collective bargaining agreement reached in March as an example of the benefit of working together.

"From the things I've seen with other sports, usually