The prize money dispute between players and Grand Slams is set to continue at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. The players have announced they will hold a media protest in the first week of the tournament. The SW19 couldn’t avoid this conflict despite announcing a 20% increase to the prize money pool. World No. 7 Coco Gauff, who is among the players expected to participate in the protest, remains somewhat unimpressed with the players’ share of revenue, alluding to further disagreements.

“We definitely welcome and appreciate the increase, but it’s still below what happened in 2016 and below the 16% that we are asking for,” she said during her pre-Wimbledon interview. “And also, the revenue has been up to 280 million over the course of the decade, so as the tournament grows in revenue, I think the share should definitely grow.”

The American also pointed out that the protest isn’t just about the top players but also the top 200 in the rankings who don’t receive any support from the Grand Slams. Alongside her, top players such as Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are also expected to participate in the media protest.

“I think a lot of people are trying to perceive this as us, the top players are kind of the ones are getting their message out there, but I think people also have to remember there are a lot of players below rankings, who are very good, top 100 or top 200 in the world. They come back from injury and aren’t necessarily given the support, and we also ask the Slams to participate in the welfare programs. We just want to help the quality of our sport as a whole,” she added.

Unlike the ATP and WTA tours, none of the Grand Slams contribute to player welfare programs. These schemes are quite important for players as they provide benefits such as pension, healthcare, and more. The players have repeatedly called out the Grand Slams over both welfare schemes and prize money, tracing back to them sending a letter to the four majors last year. As a result, they have resorted to protests. Former WTA chief, Larry Scott, is acting as the negotiator for the player group in the pay dispute. They released a statement on Wednesday, explaining the reasons behind their protest.

“Players will limit their contractual media commitments at the tournament to 15 minutes — reflecting that Wimbledon currently pays slightly below 15% of revenues to players as prize money — for the duration of the first week of the Championships,” the statement said.

The media protest dates back to the French Open in May, after the event announced the total prize money pool would be $72.3 million, roughly aligning with 15% of its projected revenue. Seeing this, Wimbledon announced a record-breaking prize pool of  £64.2 million (approximately $85.8 million). Of this prize pot, the singles champions will net £3.6m apiece, up from £3m last year. Meanwhile, first-round losers will earn £80,000.  Debbie Jevans, the chair of the All England Club, notably expressed frustration over the media protest at Roland Garros after announcing Wimbledon’s prize pool.

“We’ve always been clear that we’re on the side of the players and we want to have a fantastic Wimbledon. But using revenue to determine prize money, it just makes no sense. And we have said that to Larry Scott. Revenue does not take into account the contributions that we give. And as I’ve spoken about, we’re not-for-profit. We’re very different from an ATP Masters 1000 in that everything goes back in the sport,” she had stated during a press conference.

Though the players had initially welcomed the increase, it failed to meet their demand of £71m (approximately $93.5m). Additionally, the revenue share at the SW19 currently stands at 14.4%, lower than the price percentages at the 2025 US Open and this year’s French Open and Australian Open. It also falls short of the 14.9% share the players had received at Wimbledon 10 years ago in 2016. On Saturday, numerous players were spotted timing their press conferences, with their agents prompting moderators to finish up. Before the move, the player’s decision had already upset the All England Tennis Club.

“We are surprised and disappointed by this action,” Sally Bolton, the All England Club’s chief executive, told BBC Sport. While players insist there’s more revenue to be had, Bolton has pointed to the multi-million-pound investments made to the ground for players’ practice and convenience.

Although a worthy splurge, it seems unlikely to satisfy players’ demands, as more disruptions might surface ahead of the US Open.

Players to reportedly boycott mixed doubles event at US Open

According to a report by The Times, multiple players are reportedly planning to boycott the mixed doubles event at the US Open if the prize money dispute continues. On top of this, Jannik Sinner is the one expected to be at the center of this boycott.

The report states that the players are targeting the mixed doubles event in particular due to the new format introduced by the US Open last year. It is now a two-day standalone event held during the qualifying week, and the winning pair walks away with $1 million. The format had attracted top players like Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and more to the event last season. If the players boycott the event this year, they could exert massive pressure on the US Open to accept their demands.

Though there is no guarantee that the protest will go ahead, World No. 4 Jessica Pegula has already distanced herself from it. The American isn’t alone, as despite the recent Wimbledon protests, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic held press conferences with the media.

Amid disparate protests, an underwhelming increase in prize pot, and feverish competition, Coco Gauff and her peers may face a long battle to attain their goal of 22% revenue splits by 2030.