Top players arrived at Wimbledon this week on the back of the largest prize pot increase in tournament history. The All England Club’s announcement on June 11 saw the total prize pool increase from £53.55 million to £64.2 million. But the 20% increase wasn’t enough, as the media blackout that rattled Roland Garros last month has followed the draw to SW19.

The players have decided to extend the media protest until the end of the first week (29 June to 5 July) of Wimbledon. Just as they had done in Paris, the players will only speak for a total of 15 minutes in press conferences and interviews with the host broadcaster.

“…the unified group of top ATP and WTA players competing at The Championships has decided to limit their pre-tournament media day availability, and their post-match interviews during the first week of the tournament (through Saturday, July 4), to 15 minutes — to include a press conference and mixed zone interviews with the host broadcaster,” stated the email sent by the player group to Wimbledon.

“Players gave careful consideration to all relevant factors, including Wimbledon’s prize money announcement…But this campaign has always been about more than prize money, and the factors that drove the decision reflect that.”

Players will not be facing any fines for this protest as long as they fulfill contractual obligations to conduct brief post-match flash interviews with rights holders. The 15-minute limit that they have chosen for the protest is quite symbolic, as it reflects the fact that the Grand Slams typically allocate only about 15% of revenues to prize money.

Though the players had initially welcomed the significant increase in Wimbledon prize money, the amount fell £6.8m short of the £71m (approximately $93.5m) figure they were pushing for. While all four Grand Slams have made a massive increase to their prize money ever since the players put forward their demands last year, none of them match the 22% revenue share that they have been advocating for in their letter to the Grand Slams in April 2025.

For context, the US Open’s 20% increase from 2024 saw it offer a prize pool of $90 million. Yet the prize pool still represented only around 15% of revenues, which was well short of the players’ 22% target. The 2026 Australian Open also received a significant 16 percent boost to its prize pool, but the revenue share was 6 percent below the original demand of 22%. Meanwhile, the prize pool at this year’s Roland Garros had been raised to €61.7 million, which aligned with roughly 15% of its projected revenue.

The revenue share at SW19 currently stands at 14.4%, which is lower than last year’s US Open and this year’s French Open and Australian Open prize pool percentages.

On Wednesday, per Telegraph Sport, the negotiator for the leading players issued a press release focusing on three specific areas.

• “players’ proposals on contributions to a player welfare fund and a formal player council … have received no substantive response from Wimbledon since being tabled a year ago.”
• “Players’ share of Wimbledon’s projected revenues stands at 14.4 per cent – still below the 14.9 per cent share of a decade ago, despite revenues growing by more than £280m over that period.”
• “Players are also aware that recent public comments from Wimbledon’s leadership have questioned the principle of a revenue-sharing formula – the very foundation of the proposal. It is difficult to reach a structural agreement while the structural premise is being contested.”

The All England Club (AELTC) isn’t taking the players’ actions lightly, with a spokesperson stating that they are ‘surprised’ and ‘disappointed’ by the ongoing protest.

With the players now taking drastic measures to ensure that the Grand Slams hear their voices, they could yet extend this protest to the second week of Wimbledon.

Beyond Wimbledon, the pressure campaign may extend to Flushing Meadows if their demands aren’t met. It has already been reported that the players are planning a major boycott at the final Slam of the year, with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner being at the center of it all.

Players to reportedly boycott the mixed doubles event at the US Open

According to a recent report by The Times, several high-ranked players, including Sinner, are planning to boycott the mixed doubles event at the US Open. They are looking to target the event in particular after the US Open introduced a new format last year.

The mixed doubles is now a two-day, standalone event that is held during the qualifying week. The competition has been reduced to just 16 pairs and boasts prize money of $1 million for the winning team. This new format had attracted players like Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and more to the event.

A boycott of this event can certainly help the players in pressuring the US Open and its organizers over the prize money dispute. This can lead to the US Open becoming the first Grand Slam to buy into the players’ demands.

With Wimbledon’s first week just days away and the U.S. Open commencing in under two months, all eyes will be on how both Grand Slams respond.