WTA World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka made a strong and bold statement in her Tuesday news conference at the Italian Open.
Sabalenka was addressing the players’ dissatisfaction with their revenue share at the upcoming French Open. She hinted that a player boycott of Grand Slams may be necessary for players to be heard.
The players are expected to receive nearly 15% of the revenue share from the upcoming French Open at Roland Garros. This is far below the 22% they have requested from the four Grand Slams.
MORE: TNT Sports has been unexpectedly mum on 2026 French Open coverage
Would players really boycott Grand Slams?
Sabalenka’s strong language will cause the Grand Slams, ATP and WTA Tour officials to take notice.
Is it likely to happen? While it is difficult to predict, especially since the players are independent contractors and not unionized, it seems unlikely.
Even if the top ranked players would boycott, there are others within the Top 100 and beyond who would be eager to play because the tournament winnings would make their seasaons more profitable than they otherwise would be.
MORE: Former WTA World No. 1 Ash Barty answers quickly when asked about a tennis comeback Presumably Sabalenka is thinking that fans would not come if the top tennis players did not play. That could be possible, but the boycott would have to be organized, orchestrated, and announced well in advance of ticket sales which happen months before the Grand Slam tournaments begin. The players have a right to be upset. These issues have been going on for years. This graphic has been circulating on social media for months by top players demonstrating that current revenue share trends are not on their side. It seems like players are reaching the end of their tolerance of not being heard.