Top players limit media to 15 minutes

Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner cut their French Open media sessions to about 15 minutes on Friday as leading players escalated a dispute over how Grand Slam revenue is shared. The action came during Roland-Garros media day in Paris, two days before main-draw play begins on Sunday. BBC Sport, Sky Sports and the Associated Press reported that other top players also followed the limit as part of a coordinated protest over prize money. ### Why 15 minutes? The 15-minute cap was meant to symbolize the roughly 15% share of revenue that players say the French Open currently allocates to prize money, according to BBC Sport and other reports on Friday. Players are seeking a bigger share of the money generated by the four Grand Slam tournaments, not a boycott of this year's event. (skysports.com) Sky Sports reported that Sabalenka, Sinner and Gauff had all expressed disappointment at the percentage of revenue distributed to players at the slams. AP reported earlier this week that players at Roland-Garros were preparing to scale back media duties ahead of the tournament in protest over their share of prize money. (aol.com) ### Who joined the protest in Paris? Aryna Sabalenka, the women's world number one, was among the most visible participants on Friday after ending her session early. Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner also limited their appearances, and BBC Sport reported that Iga Swiatek was among several other leading players who adopted the same "work-to-rule" approach during pre-tournament media day. (skysports.com) The Associated Press said the protest had been planned before the tournament started, with players reducing appearances rather than refusing them altogether. Forbes reported that talk of a broader boycott had faded, leaving a narrower media protest in place before the clay-court major. ### How much money is at stake at Roland-Garros this year? (aol.com) Roland-Garros said last month that total prize money for the 2026 tournament would be 61.723 million euros, up 9.53% from last year. The tournament said it had chosen to keep supporting the qualifying rounds in order to help players who most need the money to finance their seasons. (usnews.com) The 61.723 million-euro total is roughly $72.3 million at current reporting conversions used in coverage of the event. Independent tennis payout trackers and media reports have cited that dollar equivalent in previews of the tournament. ### Why are players pressing this issue now? Friday's protest followed days of reporting that top players were unhappy with the economics of the Grand Slams despite rising prize pools. (rolandgarros.com) AP said the complaint centered on players' share of the overall money generated by the events, rather than the headline size of the purse alone. (tennistourcalendar.com) Roland-Garros officials have publicly emphasized increases for qualifying and lower-ranked players. In its 2026 tournament presentation, the French Open said the larger purse was part of an effort to support players who need help covering the cost of a season. (usnews.com) ### What happens next at the French Open? Roland-Garros said men's and women's main-draw singles begin on Sunday, May 24, and the tournament runs through June 7 in Paris. Friday's media day came after qualifying week and before the start of first-round play at Porte d'Auteuil. The next public test of the dispute will come once competition starts and top seeds including Sabalenka, Gauff and Sinner return for post-match news conferences under tournament rules. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros' official schedule shows first-round matches start Sunday, with the singles finals set for the second weekend of June 6-7. (rolandgarros.com 1) (rolandgarros.com 2)