French Open players’ media protest won’t continue after organizers reportedly agree to discuss prize money following tournament

The 2026 French Open will proceed as usual after a day of protest from the players, as the BBC reports the players will fulfill their media obligations when the tournament begins on Sunday.

The protest was the culmination of long-term complaints from the players over their share of prize money at Grand Slams, which lags well behind that of ATP and WTA events on a percentage of revenue basis.

While speaking to reporters during Friday’s pre-tournament media day, a group of top players — including Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek — limited their appearance to only 15 minutes, meant to symbolize the 15% of revenue they will be getting from this year’s Roland-Garros.

For comparison, standard ATP and WTA events pay out 22% of revenue, which the players want the Grand Slams to eventually match.

On the same day of the protest, player representative Larry Scott and a group of player agents met with French Tennis Federation (FFT) officials, per the Guardian. The players were reportedly heartened by the talks:

Sources involved described as positive talks as vindicating their media boycott. One said one day of direct action had achieved more than a year of discussions behind the scenes.

The FFT has promised to return with detailed proposals within a fortnight of the finals at Roland Garros, with the players adamant an increase in prize money must take place alongside discussions over welfare and player representation.

Player representatives reportedly told the BBC that they never intended a tournament-long protest.

The FFT has held firm on this year’s prize money, which has drawn particular ire from the players. This year’s 61.7 million-euro pot is up 5.3 million from last year, but the players have complained their share of revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2025 to 14.9% projected in 2026.

Sabalenka made waves earlier this month when she floated the nuclear option of a full-fledged boycott of a Grand Slam, which would be an extreme escalation and a major challenge on the players’ side. The story clearly isn’t over, though, as the All England Tennis Club is set to reveal the prize money for this year’s Wimbledon on June 11.