PARIS — The French Open prize money will not change this year despite tennis players complaining they deserve a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said Thursday.
Top players have criticized organizers of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament for reducing the players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at standard events for the ATP Tour for men and WTA Tour for women.
To show their discontent, many competing at Roland Garros, where main-draw play begins Sunday, are planning to limit their interaction with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional media day ahead of the tournament.
Mauresmo, a former player who won two Grand Slam titles — at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, both in 2006 — said she remained open to dialogue and was confident of a solution. A meeting is expected Friday between tournament organizers and the players and their representatives.
However, when asked whether there was a chance the prize money would change this year, Mauresmo said: “No, we are not going to change anything. We are going to initiate discussions, and that is what everyone wants.”
Aryna Sabalenka, who is No. 1 in the WTA rankings, and No. 4 Coco Gauff, who is the tournament’s reigning champion in women’s singles, were among leading players this month who supported a boycott of the major championship tournaments if they don’t start receiving more compensation.
Organizers at Roland Garros increased the prize money by about 10% after the U.S. Open last year raised its pot by 20% and this year’s Australian Open purse increased by 16%.
The entire French Open pot was 61.7 million euros ($72 million), up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players claimed their share of Roland Garros revenue declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026. They say the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.
Each of the singles champions at Roland Garros will receive 2.8 million euros, an increase of 250,000 euros compared with 2025.
“I’m not going to tell you that everything will be resolved with the snap of a finger,” Mauresmo said. “But the discussions will continue, probably after the tournament.”