London (AFP) – Top tennis players, including world number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, have ended their protest over perceived low prize money at Wimbledon, their representatives said Monday. The players had said they would limit their press conferences to 15 minutes for the first week of Wimbledon, expanding a similar protest for pre-tournament media duties at the French Open in May. Players have claimed they are currently only paid 15 percent of the revenue from the Slams, asking for 22 percent instead.
Wimbledon has increased its prize money by 20 percent, a move the players described as a “welcome step forward.” They later released a statement before the grass-court Grand Slam event saying “that Wimbledon currently pays slightly below 15 percent of revenues to players as prize money,” confirming their protest. But their representatives said on the opening day of the tournament that “players have confirmed they will resume normal tournament media duties” after holding “constructive meetings.”
“This decision is based on Wimbledon’s commitment to return with specific proposals… The underlying matters remain unresolved and players will carefully evaluate the proposals once received,” the statement said. “Dialogue with Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams will continue.”
All England Club chief Sally Bolton expressed relief the protest would not continue during the tournament. “I think it’s great news that we and they can now just concentrate on the championships and on the tennis,” she told reporters. “We’ve had some really fruitful conversations over the weekend, they’ve been really positive, we’ve effectively agreed what we had agreed before, which is that we want to continue in positive dialogue.”
The Wimbledon singles champions will bank £3.6 million ($4.76 million), an increase from the £3 million earned by 2025 champions Iga Swiatek and Sinner. “I really hope we can finally get to the table and really get it done, come to a conclusion that everyone is going to be happy with,” three-time semi-finalist Sabalenka said last week. “Hopefully we’ll never have to do this again.”
© 2024 AFP
