Leading up to the 2026 Roland Garros, the tennis world is shaken by a scandal. Top stars, spearheaded by Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, have initiated a media protest against the organizers of the French Open, expressing dissatisfaction with the revenue distribution.

According to "Atletik" and "Gardijan," twenty leading players from both men's and women's competitions have agreed on a series of protest measures during the Paris tournament.

The plan of the rebellious stars is clear and direct:

Limited Press Conferences: All players will leave official media conferences after exactly 15 minutes.

Boycott Broadcasters: Tennis players will refuse interviews with the official media of Roland Garros, as well as the main rights holders, TNT Sports and Eurosport.

Avoiding Penalties: To avoid draconian financial penalties, players will only give short "flash" interviews on the field immediately after their matches.

Why Exactly 15 Minutes?

Players have chosen this number as a direct reference to the fact that French Open organizers allocate only 15% of total earnings to players on average. The players demand this percentage be raised to 22%, which is the standard for joint ATP and WTA tournaments.

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) has immediately responded with a statement expressing regret over this decision, emphasizing that it harms media, broadcasters, and the entire tennis community.

However, the pressure has borne fruit. A crucial meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 22, where FFT President Gilles Moreton, Roland Garros Director Amélie Mauresmo, and Lari Skot, former WTA CEO now advising the players in this fight, will participate.

While the prize fund for Roland Garros has increased by 9.5% to a record $72.3 million for 12026, tennis players argue this is still a small part of the enormous revenue the tournament generates. In comparison, the US Open has raised its fund to $85 million, and the Australian Open to $75 million, but neither tournament has yet met the players' demand for a 22% share of revenue.

Similar meetings and protests are expected before Wimbledon and the US Open.

(Telegraf.rs)