Roland Garros organisers, players have ‘positive’ meeting over dispute

PARIS: Representatives of the world’s top tennis players, who are campaigning to receive a larger share of Grand Slam prize money, and the organisers of the French Open have engaged in a constructive meeting over the issue, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said Saturday.

The FFT, represented among others by Roland Garros director and former women’s world number one Amelie Mauresmo, met with the player representatives on Friday at the end of the boycott-impacted media day ahead of the start of the French Open.

“(The meeting) has allowed the FFT and the players’ representatives to engage in a positive and transparent exchange on a number of issues,” the federation said in a press release sent to AFP.

“As these discussions require more time, all parties have agreed to continue the dialogue and to meet again in the coming weeks.”

A source close to the discussions told AFP earlier Saturday that the FFT “has agreed to negotiate directly with the players” involved in the protest, which include world No 1 players Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka.

As the organiser of the Paris Grand Slam, the FFT “has committed to responding to the players’ proposals in the coming weeks”, the source added.

Since March 2025, a group of around 20 of the highest-ranked players on the ATP and WTA tours have been trying to secure a larger share of the revenue generated by Grand Slam tournaments.

The players involved are calling for a 22% share of these revenues by 2030, compared with around 15% at present.

To demonstrate their dissatisfaction, 20 players have been limiting their media commitments to 15 minutes on Friday and Saturday, during the two days set aside for pre-tournament press conferences and interviews at Roland Garros.

Representatives of the world’s top players, mainly agents, have now planned talks with the organisers of Wimbledon and the US Open at two separate meetings scheduled to take place towards the end of Roland Garros.

However, no meeting is currently planned with the organisers of the Australian Open.

In addition to a fairer distribution of revenue at Grand Slam tournaments, the stars of the tour are also calling for greater involvement in key decisions regarding the four flagship tournaments of the global tennis calendar.

They also want the Grand Slam tournaments to invest more in players’ “well-being”, for example healthcare, maternity leave and pensions.

المصدر: Free Malaysia Today