Coco Gauff joins Aryna Sabalenka in support of potential 'boycott' of Grand Slams following 'disappointment' with French Open prize pool

“Let’s see how far we can get,” Sabalenka said Tuesday. “If it’s going to take players for boycott. I feel like nowadays, we girls can easily get together and go for this because some of the things I feel like it’s really unfair to the players. I think at some point it’s going to get to this.”

Aryna Sabalenka floated a Grand Slam boycott that Coco Gauff supports if players don't make progress in gaining increased revenue shares.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Gauff in support of potential boycott: ‘It’s not about me’

Gauff, ranked No. 4 in the world, heard Sabalenka’s suggestion and is in support of moving forward if players can “collectively agree” on a boycott. She says a boycott wouldn’t be just for the players at the top, but players up and down the draw who depend on their tournament-to-tournament payouts to fund their tennis careers.

“It’s not about me,” Gauff said. “It’s about the future of our sport and the current players who aren’t getting as much benefits as even some of the top players are getting, when it comes to like sponsorship and things like that. We’re making money off court.

“When you look at the 50 to 100, 50 to 200, how much money each Slam makes, it’s kind of unfortunate where the 200 best tennis players are living paycheck to paycheck, whereas other sports it’s not even a discussion.”

World No. 3 Iga Świątek was less enthusiastic about a boycott, which she called “a bit extreme” when hearing about the idea Tuesday. She advocated for further negotiations to reach their stated goal.

“The most important thing is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies so we have some space to talk and maybe negotiate,” Świątek said.

French Open organizer addresses revenue

Organizers for the French Open, Wimbledon, The US Open and the Australian Open did not immediately provide statements in response to Sabalenka’s suggestion of a boycott. The French Tennis Federation previously provided a statement to The Athletic in response to the letter calling for an increased revenue share at the French Open.

“In 2026, the Roland-Garros tournament will offer a total prize money of €61.7 million, representing a 9.53% increase compared to 2025 and roughly a 45% increase since 2019,” the statement reads. “This reflects a sustained commitment to increasing player compensation over time.

“The French Tennis Federation has made the choice to focus some of these increases on players who exit the tournament in the early rounds of the main draw and the qualifying stages, with rises exceeding 11%, as to better support players who rely most on prize money to fund their season.

The statement states that “all revenues” are “reinvested into the Roland-Garros tournament as well as the development of tennis in France and internationally.”