Paris: Top tennis players spoke at Media Day. French Open.Friday is already booked for pre-championship press conferences, broadcaster engagements and tournament commitments. At Roland Garros, where TV rights are divided by region, top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Janic Sinner stepped up deals with several other ATP and WTA stars by limiting and, in some cases, canceling engagements with rights holders and going one-on-one with the tournament’s website.Aryna Sabalenka, seated on the dais under court powerhouse Philippe Chatrier, called time for her press conference with the written media after just eight minutes. The world No. 1 was not shying away from the players’ 15-minute united stand at Media Day. Sabalenka said that we want to tell our point. We (players) are united. “I’m here to talk to you because I respect you guys. Thank you so much for coming here, we all know what’s going on.”On which the professionals are protesting.The players have ranked the four Grand Slams to force a 22 percent increase in the tournament’s revenue share, in line with the money players receive at ATP and WTA 1000 events. They have also demanded contributions to pensions, health insurance and maternity benefits, while demanding a greater say in the structural decisions that shape the sport.In March last year, all but one of the then top 10 men and top 10 women (Alena Rybakina) wrote to the Grand Slam outlining these demands. According to the players, Majors never responded.The problem escalated in the lead-up to Roland Garros, when players on both the ATP and WTA tours expressed collective dismay after the prize money for the clay-court major was announced. In a media statement released earlier this month, the players highlighted what they described as the central issue. Players’ share of Roland Garros’ revenue had dropped from 15.5 percent in 2024 to a projected 14.9 percent in 2026, which is why they limited media day duties to 15 minutes.Janic Sner, 24, already one of the strongest voices in the game, said the players’ stance was ultimately about respect.“When we have to wait over a year for a little answer, it’s not good,” Sinner said of the players in the first of two letters to the Grand Slams. “We are not only talking about prize money, we are also talking about pension, which is a very important topic, and also decision-making.“Now three of the four Grand Slams start on Sunday, but we don’t know if they want to start on Saturday or Friday. We would like to discuss that,” the Italian said.Sabalenka, a four-time major winner, raised the bar. “It’s not about me, it’s about the players who are down in the rankings,” he said. “It’s not easy in this world of tennis to live with the percentage they are earning. As the world No. 1 I have to fight for these players.”Novak Djokovica 24-time major winner, who celebrated his 39thTh Friday’s anniversary was not part of the protest, despite media day commitments.“I have not been part of the process, discussions or planning, but what I can do is reiterate my position, I have always been with the players,” he said.Daniil Medvedev, the mercurial vagabond, seeded six here, entertaining the players to come along.“Maybe for the first time, at least in my years of touring, the players are really united,” he said. “We don’t want to hurt ourselves, we don’t want to hurt anybody. We just want to have a conversation with the Salims, which we think they probably don’t want enough to talk about.”For now, protests are measured, media duties cut short, broadcaster appearances cancelled, carefully worded statements from the sport’s biggest stars. Yet on the eve of another Roland Garros, the message from the locker room is unmistakable, it’s not just about the money, it’s about getting a seat at the table.
