“Players Demand Bigger Slice!”: Pegula Leads Grand Slam Prize Money Push As Sabalenka & Sinner Back Reform Calls

Top players are increasing pressure on tennis Grand Slams over prize money. Jessica Pegula is helping organise both tours, after boycott talk from Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner. Players say their share of Grand Slam revenues is too low compared with other sports.

Pegula is the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up and ranked No. 5. Her parents own the NFL's Buffalo Bills and NHL's Buffalo Sabres. She said this background helps. “I feel like I've taken on a bit of a leadership role with it,” she said.

Player Panel & Cross-Tour Outreach

Earlier this year, Pegula was named to lead a new 13-person panel. It will suggest changes to the women's calendar, ranking rules, and event commitments. She is now focusing on prize money. “I've been reaching out to players on the men's and women's side,” she said.

Sabalenka said last week that players should consider a boycott. She wants a bigger slice of tournament revenue. Sinner said there is a lack of respect. Pegula welcomed their stance. “At the end of the day the players are the ones that have the big voices,” she said.

Pegula highlighted the difference with US team sports. In the NFL and NHL, athletes receive about 50% of revenues. At most tennis events, players say the share is less than half that mark. Concerns focus on the French Open and the other three Grand Slams.

French Open Prize Pool

The players say the French Open is now devoting under 14.9% of revenues to them. That is down from 15.5% in 2024, according to their protest statement. Roland Garros organisers said overall prize money rose about 10% to 61.7 million euros.

The increase at Roland Garros was 5.3 million euros from last year. But players say the base numbers tell a “very different story”. Pegula called the gap with leagues like the NFL “crazy”. She said tennis is “very old-school” and needs change on financial issues.

A group of players wrote to Grand Slam chiefs a year ago. They asked for higher prize money and a bigger say in decisions. Wimbledon lifted its 2025 total pot by 7%. The U.S. Open rose 20%. The Australian Open increased 16% this January.

Grand Slams lag regular tour events

Despite those rises, players say Grand Slams still trail regular tour events. They point to a rate of 22% at standard ATP and WTA tournaments. Pegula said Grand Slams “have kind of just gotten away with paying not that much” because tennis is an individual sport.

Players also stress the difficulty in uniting independent athletes. Many cannot skip events. “We're not on a salary,” Pegula said. She said football and basketball players “can afford not to play,” which gives those leagues different leverage in talks.

Pegula said one major problem is tennis governance. The sport has seven key bodies. They are the four Grand Slams, the ATP, the WTA and the International Tennis Federation. “Our sport is super fragmented,” she said. She said that makes unity hard.

Pegula said cooperation among leading names is growing. “It's been huge to actually have the top 10 men and women really come together,” she said. Organisers at the French Open have not replied to comment requests. She said players also await a response from Wimbledon.

On court, Pegula is into the Italian Open quarterfinals. She beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (6), 6-2 on Monday. She had routed Rebeka Masarova 6-0, 6-0 in the previous round. She next faces either three-time Rome champion Iga Swiatek or four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

Pegula's Off-Court Favourites

Off the court, Pegula is tracking the Buffalo Sabres playoff run. She said time zones in Europe make watching difficult. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Sabres 6-2 in Game 3 on Sunday. They lead the second-round series 2-1. Pegula said playoff hockey is her “favorite thing.”