Wimbledon is almost upon us and while talk around the grass courts will no doubt revolve around Serena Williams' return, Jannik Sinner's title defence and, yes, the heat, the issue of prize money is set to dominate headlines.
A group of players, including Sinner and women's No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka have made it clear they want to see a greater percentage of the revenue generated by the major tournaments -- Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open -- given to the players' prize money fund.
Here is what we know about the issue and what players are trying to do about it.
- Players to limit Wimbledon media in ongoing prize money protest
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What are the players unhappy about?
Top of the list is prize money. They argue the slams should pay a higher percentage of revenue and are set on reaching 22%, which they say is broadly the figure on the ATP and WTA Tours, by 2030.
They are also calling for contributions from the slams to welfare programmes including pensions and a meaningful voice at the table.
What has happened so far?
The group of players first sent a letter to the slams last spring and were not at all impressed with the response -- or lack of it.
Ahead of the French Open, they released a statement expressing their disappointment with a prize money increase of only 9.5%. They took their first direct action at Roland Garros, limiting their pre-match media commitments to only 15 minutes -- the approximate percentage of revenue paid by the French Open.
What was the impact?
The players were emboldened by the result. The protest immediately brought French Open organisers to the table, with the promise of a concrete proposal to follow, while further meetings followed with Wimbledon and US Open chiefs.
What about Wimbledon prize money?
Rarely has there been such scrutiny on a prize money announcement as there was when Wimbledon held its spring press conference earlier this month.
The slams do not agree with the players' use of revenue as the sole marker for prize money but the 2026 total was announced as £64.2 million ($84m) -- a huge 20% increase from 2025, though still short of the 16% of revenue demanded by the players for this year.
Will there be further protests?
The players initially reacted positively, describing the figure as a "meaningful signal of intent."
Wimbledon thought they had staved off the threat of more action so it was something of a surprise to learn the players are not just repeating the Roland Garros protest but amplifying it, with the 15-minute limit also applied to post-match press in the first week of the tournament.
This will affect the tournament's premium broadcast partners, including the BBC, who may not be able to secure their usual interviews.
What happens next?
Wimbledon had planned to meet with the players' representative Larry Scott following the tournament but this latest action has certainly increased tensions.
The US Open will be the next tournament under scrutiny and, having upped its prize money by 20% last year, another big rise will be expected, particularly given the eye-watering ticket prices.
There has been talk of boycotting the tournament's big-money mixed doubles draw, which was brought forward to the week before the main event last year and attracted a star-studded field.
