Copyright yardbarker
Recently, the top stars in tennis have been pursuing the four Grand Slams in dismay, pressuring for a fairer share of revenue and more benefits across the players who compete. Coco Gauff is one of them who has signed a letter sent to the events and has shared her opinion on the proceedings. Tennis has seen a sharp increase in prize money throughout the years, with eye-watering amounts of cash up for grabs in each competition. A prime example is the Six Kings Slam, where six of the best players on the ATP circuit are set to face off in an exhibition event in Riyadh for a prize pool of $6 million. However, the players are not content with what is on offer at the four biggest competitions in tennis. The best players in the world sent a second letter as they looked for answers. This was from the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff, among other stars. The only name not to feature on both letters was Novak Djokovic. The current trajectory for Grand Slam prize money as a proportion of revenue for 2030 is 16%. The stars are not satisfied with that, looking for a 22% increase to get closer to some of the biggest sports organisations in the world. They would also want Grand Slams to contribute more to player welfare and a benefit fund aiding pesnions, health care, and maternity benefits, along with having more of a voice when organising events, linking to the recent expansion of many 1000 events to two weeks. The prize pool has increased from 2024 to 2025 at each Grand Slam at varying amounts. The Australian Open was the first to do so, implementing a 12% rise to $63.1 million on offer. This closed the gap to Roland Garros, who boosted its tally up 5% to $69.5 million, with Wimbledon going up 7% to $71.5 million. The recent US Open had the most luxurious boost, rising 20% to a whopping $90 million. Gauff has her say The world number three was one of the biggest names to sign the letter, stating that it is to 'benefit all the players.' “I mean, overall it’s been a long, long process with that. We have a player representative. I like to keep most of the comments for him because they did have a meeting this week. I was not a part of it because I had practice at the same time. I did get a text message of a recap. I wouldn’t say I fully know all the details of what transpired as of last week. Overall, I know this started at Indian Wells this year when we all signed the letter, the top 10. “I think the goal is just obviously increasing the percentage of prize money, but also making it better, not just for us but throughout the field. The top 10 signed a letter as a representation of the entire tour, within the top 200 or top 300, I would say. Unfortunately, it’s like that: the top players, you can put more pressure, your voices are heard a little bit more. We try to take advantage of that and use it. I think the biggest message is not just to benefit us, it’s to benefit all the players.” The American is currently competing in the China Open and got off to the perfect start, beating Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0. Gauff has not had the best of it since her Roland Garros triumph, failing to win a single match on grass before enduring a disappointing North American swing, consistently struggling with her serve. She will now be hoping to get back to her best form and challenge for the biggest prizes in tennis again.
