Top-tier tennis players have decided to conclude their boycott of media responsibilities at Wimbledon following productive discussions with the All England Club. Earlier, prominent athletes including world number ones Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner had restricted their media sessions to 15 minutes to protest the current prize money structure at Grand Slam events.
This collective, which features stars like Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, is pushing for Grand Slams to allocate a larger portion of their earnings to participant prize money. They are also seeking improved support for pensions and maternity benefits. Initially, the protest was intended to span the entire opening week of the tournament. However, player representatives confirmed a return to normal duties, citing encouraging talks with organizers.
The 15-minute media limit was intended to represent the roughly 15% of revenue currently distributed as prize money, while players are campaigning for an increase to 16% and eventually 22% by 2030. Although Wimbledon raised its prize pool by 20% to £64.2m this year, players maintain that broader structural issues remain unresolved. While some stars are unified, others, such as Novak Djokovic, have abstained from the protest. Furthermore, some players like Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev have opted out of the action, noting that Wimbledon has already made meaningful progress in the right direction.
