Leading players from the men\u2019s and women\u2019s top 10 sent proposals to the grand slams in August, outlining a series of reforms following meetings at Roland Garros<\/a> and Wimbledon<\/a> over the summer. The players did not receive a response, and a request for further meetings at the US Open<\/a> was refused, with the matter of an ongoing legal case, filed separately by the Professional Tennis Players Association<\/a>, cited as why talks could not be held. <\/p>\n The players are demanding a greater share of the revenues generated by the four grand slam tournaments at the Australian Open, Roland Garros<\/a>, Wimbledon<\/a> and US Open<\/a>, arguing that the ratio of between 13 and 15 per cent is too low and should be closer to the 22 per cent received at events on the ATP and WTA Tour with equal prize money, such as Indian Wells and the Italian Open. Players are also asking the grand slams to start contributing to a player welfare fund, supporting pensions, healthcare and maternity leave, and for more consultation with tournaments around matters such as scheduling. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner says the lack of response from the grand slams is ‘disappointing’ (Getty)<\/p>\n The proposals were initially raised in a first letter in March and Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> and Coco Gauff<\/a> were among the players to meet with the grand slams at Roland Garros. However, the delay in talks since August has led to players voicing their frustration in public. Sinner told the Guardian<\/a> on Tuesday that the lack of response from the grand slams was \u201cdisappointing\u201d, with men\u2019s No 4 Fritz and No 6 Shelton outlining to the Independent their support for the proposals and the \u201cunited\u201d front the players have now turned to. More top stars are expected to speak out before the end of the season. <\/p>\n \u201cI signed both letters because this is the first time ATP and WTA players have come together like this, and we need to stay united on issues that affect every professional player,\u201d Shelton said. \u201cWe sent clear proposals to the grand slams in the summer, but they have not responded positively. I\u2019m not sure why, because I think the proposals we submitted were very fair and realistic. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look at prize money as a percentage of revenue, tennis players are at the bottom compared to other major sports. The NBA, NFL, and other leagues share around 50 per cent of revenue with players, while at the grand slams we\u2019re talking about averages in the low teens. The biggest combined ATP and WTA events are over 20 per cent. <\/p>\n \u201cI hope people realise that this isn\u2019t about more money for those of us in the top 10. It\u2019s about players having a voice, the slams contributing to pensions and healthcare, and increasing the prize money so all players get a fair share of the success of the tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Ben Shelton says the issue is about \u2018players having a voice\u2019 (Getty)<\/p>\n This season\u2019s US Open offered the largest purse in grand slam history, with prize money rising by 21 per cent to \u00a363.8m. Carlos Alcaraz and Sabalenka won around \u00a33.8m each for lifting the men\u2019s and women\u2019s singles titles. Wimbledon\u2019s total prize money increased by seven per cent, to \u00a353.5m, with a record \u00a33m for the singles champions, while the \u00a366,000 for first-round losers saw a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. Wimbledon\u2019s total prize money has doubled over the last decade, amid wider investment in improving facilities and services for players. <\/p>\n The players argue, however, that they should still receive a greater share. In 2024, Wimbledon\u2019s prize fund of \u00a350m was 12.3 per cent of the tournament\u2019s total revenue of \u00a3406.5m, although the Championships also invests significant sums into supporting the wider grass-court season in the UK. The top stars say they want overall prize money to increase at all grand slam events in order to support lower-ranked players, who often rely on early round prize money at the biggest tournaments to cover their travel and expenses on tour throughout the season. <\/p>\n Additionally, there is a desire for the grand slams to start making annual contributions to player welfare funds. The ATP and WTA contribute $80m (\u00a360m) annually to benefits covering pensions, maternity pay and health care, but the grand slams do not. Players also want more consultation on decisions affecting them, such as in-tournament scheduling and rule changes. The expansion of the Australian Open, Roland Garros and US Open to 15-day events is among the issues highlighted. <\/p>\n![\"Wimbledon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2224930333.jpeg\")
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