Jannik Sinner not ruling out grand slam boycott in prize money dispute

Jannik Sinner refused to rule out participating in a player boycott of the grand slam tournaments and accused the majors of disrespect for the top players due to their lack of response in the ongoing prize money dispute.

“It’s more about respect, you know?” said Sinner, the men’s No 1. “Because I think we give much more than what we are getting back. It’s not only for the top players; it’s for all of us players. Again, from men’s and women’s side, we are very, very equal. I think the top 10 men, top 10 women, we wrote a letter. It’s not nice that after one year we are not even close to the conclusion of what we would like to have.

“Talking in other sports, if the top athletes, they send important letters, I truly believe that within 48 hours you have not only a response but you also have a meeting with this kind of thing, so … Of course, we talk about money. The most important is respect, and we just don’t feel it.”

Sinner’s comments come after Aryna Sabalenka, the women’s No 1, suggested on Tuesday that players would boycott grand slam tournaments in the future due to the prize money dispute, which Coco Gauff expressed agreement with. Last March, the top 10 men’s and women’s players sent a letter to the grand slam tournaments requesting meetings to discuss players receiving a greater share of the tournament revenues, increased contributions to player welfare contributions and more cooperation between the grand slams and players.

Asked if he would be willing to skip a significant event, Sinner said: “I cannot predict the future in a way,” he said. “But in the same time I also believe that somewhere we need to start. I understand other players not playing. But yeah, let’s see. Definitely I can see all the press conferences, and I’m definitely not the only one. It’s the first time that I feel like the players are all in the same scenario and in the same point of view.”

Novak Djokovic, who has devoted a significant amount of his time to attempting to unite players, through his role as president of the ATP Player Council and then by co-founding the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), said he has not participated in the latest initiative but he is fully supportive of the players from the sidelines.

“I’ve said it many times,” he said. “I don’t need to talk about that too long. Players know that they’ll always have my support, and that’s all. The new generations are coming up. I’m glad that there is willingness from the leaders of our sport, like Sabalenka, to really step up and really understand the dynamics of how the tennis politics works and understand the nuances and really what needs to be done not only for her benefit and wellbeing, but for everyone. That’s a true leadership for me and I think she needs to maintain that. I salute that.”