Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are amongst 20 high tennis gamers who signed a letter urging Grand Slam leaders to extend prize cash and provides athletes a stronger voice in choices that “directly impact us.”
A replica of the letter, dated March 21 and obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, requests an in-person assembly at this month’s Madrid Open with representatives of the 4 majors: Craig Tiley (Australian Open), Stephane Morel (French Open), Sally Bolton (Wimbledon) and Lew Sherr (U.S. Open).
Handwritten signatures embody 10 of the highest 11 ladies from the March 3 rankings – Elena Rybakina was the one one lacking – and the complete males’s high 10.
Signers on the ladies’s aspect embody No. 1-ranked Sabalenka, Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva.
The males’s checklist options No. 1-ranked Sinner – presently serving a three-month doping ban – together with Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur.
Of the 20, 15 have gained at the least one Grand Slam title or reached a serious ultimate.
The gamers outlined three areas of focus:
- Grand Slam tournaments ought to contribute financially to participant welfare applications funded by the 2 professional excursions.
- Prize cash ought to improve “to a more appropriate percentage of tournament revenues, reflective of the players’ contribution to tournament value.”
- Athletes ought to have extra enter on choices “directly impacting competition, as well as player health and welfare.”
News of the letter – first reported by French sports activities newspaper L’Équipe – comes about two weeks after the gamers’ affiliation co-founded by Djokovic filed an antitrust lawsuit towards the ladies’s and males’s skilled excursions, the International Tennis Federation and the game’s integrity company in federal courtroom in New York. Djokovic was not listed as a plaintiff, saying he needed different gamers to take the lead.
The lawsuit seeks extra income for gamers, arguing too little reaches their palms. It additionally outlines different complaints about how the game is ruled.
The antitrust submitting referenced a report claiming the U.S. Open generated extra income from the sale of 1 specialty cocktail ($12.8 million) than it paid to the lads’s and ladies’s champions mixed.
The U.S. Tennis Association provided a report $75 million in whole compensation – together with prize cash and participant expense reimbursements – for the 2024 U.S. Open, up about 15% from the $65 million awarded in 2023.
Based on foreign money change charges on the time, Wimbledon awarded about $64 million in prize cash final 12 months, whereas the French Open and Australian Open provided roughly $58 million every.
“The USTA is always available for and welcomes open and direct conversations with players, whether on site at the U.S. Open or at any other point of the year, as we are consistently looking for ways to enhance our event for the benefit of players and fans,” spokesman Brendan McIntyre mentioned in a written assertion.
“The USTA is incredibly proud of the U.S. Open’s leadership in player compensation throughout its history and our support to grow professional tennis not only in the United States but worldwide,” he mentioned. “This includes offering equal prize money to men and women for more than 50 years and awarding the largest purse in tennis history at the 2024 U.S. Open.”
The subsequent Grand Slam event is the French Open, with main-draw matches starting in Paris on May 25.
Source: www.dailysabah.com