World number one Jannik Sinner and top-ranked women’s player Aryna Sabalenka are among the leading tennis figures who have brought an end to their protest over what they view as insufficient prize money at Wimbledon, with their representatives confirming the dispute has been concluded for the tournament.
How the Wimbledon prize-money protest unfolded
- The players, including Sinner and Sabalenka, announced they would scale back their media availability at Wimbledon by restricting press conference time to 15 minutes during the first week.
- That approach mirrored a similar protest they had already carried out for pre-tournament media obligations at the French Open in May.
- The players’ case centres on the share they believe they receive from Grand Slam revenue, claiming they are currently paid just 15% of earnings from the Slams and are pushing for an increase to 22%.
- Wimbledon responded by raising its prize money package by 20%, a change the players described as a “welcome step forward”.
- Despite that increase, the players issued a further statement ahead of the grass-court major in which they said Wimbledon “currently pays slightly below 15 percent of revenues to players as prize money”, reaffirming their protest position.
- On the first day of the tournament, their representatives said the players had confirmed they would return to standard tournament media duties after holding “constructive meetings”.
- In the same update, the representatives said the choice to resume normal media work was tied to Wimbledon’s commitment to return with specific proposals, while also noting the core issues were still not settled and would be assessed once the details were received.
- They added that discussions with Wimbledon and the other Grand Slam tournaments would continue.
All England Club chief Sally Bolton said she was relieved the protest would not extend through the championship itself. Speaking to reporters, Bolton said it was “great news” that both sides could focus on the tournament and the tennis, describing the weekend talks as “really fruitful” and “really positive”.
Bolton added that the parties had effectively aligned on what had been agreed previously, with both sides committed to maintaining constructive dialogue.
On the financial side, Wimbledon’s singles champions are set to receive £3.6 million (US$4.76 million), up from the £3 million prize earned by the 2025 winners—Iga Swiatek and Sinner.
Sabalenka, a three-time semi-finalist, had earlier said she hoped the negotiations would reach a final agreement without further disruption, adding: “Hopefully we’ll never have to do this again.”
