World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is no longer ruling out a boycott of Roland-Garros. With the Paris Grand Slam just weeks away, the Italian has taken a public stand in the escalating dispute between players and tournament organizers over revenue sharing.
"It's more about respect, you know? Because I think we give much more than what we are getting back. It's not only for the top players, it's for all of us players," Sinner told reporters at the Rome Masters, where he is currently competing.
The tension has been building since March 2025, when twenty of the sport's most prominent players sent a joint letter to Grand Slam organizers demanding a fairer share of tournament revenue. Over a year later, that letter remains unanswered, and frustration has reached a tipping point.
The numbers fuel the anger. Roland-Garros generated 395 million euros in revenue in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase. While the prize pool rose 9.5% to 61.7 million euros in 2026, the players' share of total revenue actually decreased from 15.5% in 2024 to roughly 14.9% this year. Players are demanding 22%, a threshold they consider fair given their role in generating the tournament's commercial appeal.
Sinner is not alone. Aryna Sabalenka, the WTA No. 1, voiced her support earlier this week. Coco Gauff, the defending champion in Paris, went further by openly calling for a boycott.
The threat carries real weight. A French Open without Sinner, Sabalenka, and Gauff would lose three of its biggest draws, a nightmare scenario for organizers already without Carlos Alcaraz, who withdrew with a wrist injury. The tournament begins May 24: both sides have two weeks to find common ground.
