Leading tennis players say they will expand their prize money protest at Wimbledon despite a 20% increase in this year’s pot.
Some players limited pre-tournament media to 15 minutes at the recent French Open, but will go a step further at Wimbledon as they will not only limit the time they offer at the forthcoming media weekend, but are also planning to restrict post-match appearances to 15 minutes throughout the first week of the Championships, which start on Monday 29.
The 15-minute limit is meant to symbolise the 15% of revenue which broadly speaking, the Grand Slams allocate to prize money.
Representatives of the players say the decision was taken “following detailed consultation with players across both tours”.
In Paris, women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka cut short her pre-tournament press conference, while players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek also followed the ‘work to rule’ directive. But Novak Djokovic, who has regularly spoken out on behalf of players’ rights, did not take part in the action.
The total prize fund at this year’s championships will be £64.2m, following the largest annual increase in the event’s history.
The singles’ champions will each take home £3.6m with first-round losers paid £80,000. The overall fund is still about £7m short of what the players had been hoping for.
(The Whistler)
