The director of Roland Garros reacted after learning of the tennis players' protest: “We will not change anything”
Article by David Istrate – Published on Thursday, 21 May 2026 20:19 / Updated on Thursday, 21 May 2026 20:33
In the context of the general dissatisfaction of tennis players about the financial prizes offered at Roland Garros, Amelie Mauresmo (46), the director of the Grand Slam tournament, said that they will not be changed in 2026, but promised to start discussions with the athletes.
The last few weeks have been marked by a state of tension in world tennis, with players unhappy with the financial prizes on offer at Roland Garros. They argue that, compared to the revenue that the Grand Slam in Paris brings in, the prizes are too small.
Therefore, several top ATP and WTA tennis players sent a joint letter expressing their outrage. Then Aryna Sabalenka, the world leader, set the tone for a wide discussion about the possibility of the players boycotting Roland Garros.
Several athletes from the world top 10 supported the Belarusian player, and Jannik Sinner, number 1 in the ATP ranking, supported this effort. In the end, the boycott seemed too extreme a solution, but the athletes announced another protest.
The players protest, and Amelie Mauresmo announces that she is open to dialogue
They decided to leave after 15 minutes the press conferences on Friday, May 22, organized before the start of Roland Garros. This gesture symbolizes the fact that Grand Slam tournaments allocate, on average, only 15% of their income to the prize pool.
Also, the tennis players will refuse to give additional interviews to the main media partners: TNT Sports and Eurosport. They are unhappy with the fact that the prize fund is only 14.3% of the income obtained by Roland Garros.
According to ESPN, Amelie Mauresmo, former tennis player and current director of Roland Garros, said that she is open to dialogue and that there will be a discussion between the organizers, players and their representatives on Friday, May 22.
“No, we will not change anything (not related to the prize pool). We're going to initiate discussions and that's what everyone wants“, Mauresmo transmitted.
“I won't say that everything will be solved with a snap of the fingers. But the discussions will probably continue after the tournament,” she added.
Roland Garros 2026 will take place from May 24 to June 7. The main draw draw took place on Thursday 21st May.
