The Asian swing is up and underway, and the roar of the crowd is deafening; the tension on the court is palpable, yet off it, a different battle is quietly intensifying. Coco Gauff, the two-time Grand Slam champion, has always let her racket do the talking. But this week, she chose a different kind of serve—a bold stand alongside her peer Carlos Alcaraz in a debate that has shaken the tennis world: pay parity.
Earlier this year, tennis stars including Alcaraz, Swiatek, Gauff, and several other players “co-signed and sent a letter to the four Grand Slam tournaments, demanding a substantial increase in their prize money.” The letter called for a greater distribution of profits generated by the four pillars of the Tour to benefit the main stakeholders: the players, without whom the show wouldn’t take place. At that time, in an interview with Marca, Alcaraz said, “Tennis is a well-paid sport, but the percentages have to be fair.” Talking about percentages, recently a news came out about a collection of the Top 10 players who had sent a second letter to the four Grand Slam tournaments to push for a greater share of revenues—aiming to rise from the current 16% to 22% by 2030—contributions to pension, health, and maternity benefits that would go from zero to $12 million annually by that same year, and greater say via a new player council.
Speaking on this topic shortly after his comfortable victory against Sebastian Baez in the R32 of the Japan Open, Carlos Alcaraz said, “I think right now, it’s a little bit a mess between everything, the ATP and the Grand Slams.” He added that players are “trying to make things better” and want a more unified system that treats competitors equitably. Following that, Coco Gauff has now shared a similar thought after securing her winning start at the China Open. She said, “It’s been a very long process. There is a players’ representative who I want to have a say because I couldn’t attend the meetings as I had training at that time. I was informed, and I don’t have much information; all I know is that this started this past Indian Wells, and I signed the letter along with the other top 10 players. The goal is to boost the prize money for players in Grand Slams, not just for us but also for players ranked in the top 200 or 300. We are trying to leverage the fact that the top-ranked players can exert pressure and are listened to a bit more, unfortunately.”
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If we take a look at the numbers, the prize pool has increased from 2024 to 2025 at each Grand Slam by varying amounts. The AO was the first to do it, implementing a 12% rise to $63.1 million on offer. This move helped them close the gap with the French Open, which boosted its tally up 5% to $69.5 million, with Wimbledon going up 7% to $71.5 million. But the biggest shift came at the US Open, rising 20% to a whopping $90 million. Both Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz tasted title triumphs at the majors this year. They won around $2,901,024 at the French Open, and then later on, with his US Open triumph, the Spaniard added $5,000,000 more to his purse.
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As per Sportico, Carlos Alcaraz is currently the leader in tennis prize money (in 2025) with a staggering $15.64 million in tournament winnings through September. Coco Gauff sits in the fifth spot in that list with $6.35 million.
Now, the interesting part surrounding the second letter sent by these players is that if it’s accepted, this would see the AO prize pool exceed $100 million and the US Open surpass $150 million. Combining the four Slams, the total prize pool was around $440 million in 2025, and if this stands, this number could well exceed $500 million within the next five years.
Tennis has always been a game of skill, endurance, and precision—but perhaps now, it’s about courage too. And with voices like Gauff’s and Alcaraz’s, the momentum for change feels unstoppable. In a sport defined by rivalry and competition, this partnership is different. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the greatest victories aren’t always won with aces or drop shots—they’re won by standing together, demanding fairness, and reshaping the rules for the next generation.
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Coming back to the on-court happenings, Coco Gauff has struggled a bit ever since her title triumph at the French Open. But now, she has gotten off to a stellar start in Beijing. She’ll be facing the 2021 US Open finalist, Leylah Fernandez, in her next match, but before that, let’s take a look at what she said about her performance in the opening match.
Coco Gauff shares her thoughts about her match against Kamilla Rakhimova
Coco Gauff took down the Russian star by 6-4,6-0 in the R64 clash. Although the American had a shaky start in this match as she faced four break points, the reigning champion managed to save all 10 break points in this epic duel to wrap up the match in just 1 hour and 43 minutes. With this win, she has now become the youngest player to register eleven wins in the women’s singles event at the China Open since the inception of the tournament in 2004.
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While sharing her thoughts about the match in the press conference, she said, “I expected a tight match because it was the first one since the US Open. She is a great player and has been competing well in recent tournaments, but I found my rhythm and took advantage of it. Initially, I was a bit tense, but I managed to relax, and I think it was evident in the second set score. I’m also very happy with my Chinese fans, who treat me wonderfully every year and give me many things that I will cherish forever.”
She’s “super happy” to make a comeback to the place where she had won the title twelve months ago. All Gauff wants now is to create some more good memories in Beijing. But in order to keep her title defense hopes alive, she needs to beat Fernandez in the next round. Although Coco Gauff has a 2-0 record against the Canadian, it still won’t be a cakewalk this time. Fernandez will be keen to take her revenge on the American. Who’s your pick in this epic duel, though?