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Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are arguably the two biggest stars in women’s tennis today, and while they haven’t always been on the same page, the pair is now united in an increasingly tense fight for fair pay.
Both Sabalenka and Gauff, who squared off in the finals of the 2025 French Open, are threatening to boycott future Grand Slam events if players do not receive what they deem to be fair pay.
A number of top ATP and WTA players recently sent a letter expressing “deep disappointment” in the upcoming French Open’s prize money pool, saying that their pay did not reflect the increase in projected tournament revenue.
Aryna Sabalenka And Coco Gauff Speak Out On Perceived Unfair Pay
“Without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that entertainment,” Sabalenka at a press conference prior to the Italian Open. “I think at some point we will boycott it, I feel like that’s going to be the only way to fight for our rights.
“I feel like nowadays, we girls can easily get together and go for this because of some of the things I feel like it’s really unfair to the players, (and) I think at some point it’s going to get to this.”
Gauff agreed, noting that she could “100 percent see” a boycott taking place if the players agree upon it.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the future of our sport and the current players who aren’t getting as much benefits as even some of the top players are getting,” she said, noting that other players do not make millions in sponsorship dollars. “When you look at the 50 to 100, 50 to 200 (top-ranked players), how much money each Slam makes, it’s kind of unfortunate where the 200 best tennis players are living paycheck to paycheck, whereas other sports it’s not even a discussion.”
Women’s Tennis Players Unite Behind Idea Of Grand Slam Pay Raise
While Sabalenka and Gauff were the biggest names to speak out on the women’s side, they certainly weren’t alone. Reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina and six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek also voiced their frustrations over the current deal.
“Yeah, I think we’ve been pretty reasonable in terms of our proposal and getting the fair share of revenue,” Swiatek said. “I think the ‘increase of prize money’ is not exactly, you know, what we wanted because the percentage of revenue is going down.
“…I think the most important thing, honestly, is to have proper communication and discussions with the governing bodies so we have some space to talk and maybe negotiate.
“Hopefully, before Roland Garros there’s going to be (an) opportunity to have these types of meetings, and we’ll see how they go.”
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, both Novak Djokovic and rising American star Ben Shelton have expressed similar concerns, with Shelton stating that players should have “a seat at the table” regarding Grand Slam matters.
The 125th French Open is scheduled to begin on May 24.