Tennis players’ issues are much deeper than 2026 French Open purse

Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among the tennis players making headlines for expressing their disappointment over the 2026 French Open prize earnings.

The surface issue is that players want a greater share of the tournament’s revenue. They are projected to receive 14.9% this year, well below the 22% they have requested of the Grand Slams.

Of the four Grand Slams, the US Open provides the highest earnings, followed by the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and coming in last, the French Open at Roland Garros. The real problems are more significant than Grand Slam earnings and have existed for years.

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What players want is more significant than a bigger Roland Garros payout

There is a power struggle between the Grand Slams, the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, and the players. The players’ opinions are often overlooked. They want more of a say because without them, the sport does not exist. They seek input into long term issues such as pension and health care.

The tours view them as independent contractors with a caveat of placing mandatory requirements on tournament availability. While they can choose to not attend the tournaments, it comes at a cost of ranking points, earnings, and potential year-end bonuses.

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No foreseeable solution

Professional team sports have players’ unions that represent their interests to team owners and league personnel. Should tennis players consider unionizing?

It is difficult to envision how this scenario would work with athletes competing as individuals.

However, unionizing may be an option before going down the rabbit hole of professional golf. The PGA Tour and LIV Tour have segregated golf’s best players and financially hampered the PGA.

One thing has been accomplished

One thing players have accomplished in recent years is allocating more prize money for qualifying rounds winners and early round players.

Players ranked outside the Top 100 struggle financially. They are scraping by to make ends meet to pay for coaches, training, travel, equipment, and everything else they need to compete. Though there is greater awareness and more money channeled to these players, there is still plenty of work to be done.

In addition to tournament earnings, top ranked players are able to secure sponsorships and endorsements. Those earnings often exceed their tennis winnings.