Tim Henman has stepped in to defuse a growing dispute over prize money at grand slam events, securing a meeting between Wimbledon officials and leading player representatives scheduled for Roland Garros next week. The former British No. 1 and All England Club Board member held talks with several top players, including representatives of the WTA Players' Council, at the Italian Open in Rome earlier this month. A formal meeting between Wimbledon officials and player agents will follow at the French Open.
Players Demand Greater Revenue Share
Leading tennis players, including Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, have expressed dissatisfaction with French Open prize money. Players have demanded bigger prize pots at top events, insisting that grand slam organisers address requests for a greater percentage of revenue and contributions to welfare initiatives such as pension funds. In March, representatives rejected a proposed joint meeting at Indian Wells with three slams on those grounds.
Wimbledon's Proposal
Wimbledon will offer to create its own player council and reaffirm its commitment to growing the sport and increasing prize money. This year's Championships prize fund will be revealed at a press conference on 11 June. The players' representatives will also meet with the French Tennis Federation and United States Tennis Association, but Tennis Australia will not be involved in any discussions in Paris.
Fractured Governance
In a sign of the sport's fractured governance, the Australian Open has aligned with the Professional Tennis Players' Association, which is suing the other three grand slam governing bodies in New York's district court over alleged restrictive practices in a separate dispute. It is unclear if Henman's intervention has helped bring players to the negotiating table, but given his status in the sport, the 51-year-old may have smoothed relations. Henman is understood to have met representatives of the WTA's Player Council in Rome and is a regular presence on both tours and at slams due to his media commitments.
Background of the Dispute
The dispute has been rumbling since last year's French Open when a delegation of players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, urged executives from all slams to increase prize funds to 22% of revenue by 2030. Following a modest 7% increase in prize money by Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open raised their funds by 20% and 16% respectively. However, the French Open's announcement of a 9.5% increase this year led to a further escalation in tensions. Players claimed that the real-terms increase as a percentage of the tournament's revenue was only 5.4%, as the French Open's income last year rose by 14% to €395m.
Player Protest at French Open
After several players, including Sinner, Sabalenka, and Gauff, openly discussed a future boycott of the slams in Rome, all leading players agreed to reduce their media activities at the French Open in a coordinated protest. The players will only participate in pre-tournament press conferences with written media and conduct one interview with a host broadcaster. They will refuse to conduct their usual one-on-one interviews with global TV rights holders, who pay significant amounts for such privileges.
Amélie Mauresmo, the French Open tournament director, expressed sadness over the choice, noting that it penalises all actors of the tournament: players, fans, and the press. She confirmed that discussions have begun and expressed confidence in the exchanges that will take place, stating that everyone must take a step towards the other.
