Wimbledon Prize Money: Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner Among Others End Protest

Last Updated:June 29, 2026, 18:54 IST

Wimbledon's decision to increase prize money by 20 percent has been described as a "welcome step forward" by the players.

Top players, including world number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, have called off their protest over what they believe is inadequate prize money at Wimbledon after holding “constructive meetings" with tournament organisers, their representatives said on Monday.

The players had planned to limit their press conferences to 15 minutes during the opening week of Wimbledon, extending a protest that began with pre-tournament media duties at the French Open in May.

The dispute centres on the share of Grand Slam revenues allocated to players. They have argued that players currently receive only 15 percent of Slam revenues as prize money and are seeking an increase to 22 percent.

Ahead of the Championships, Wimbledon announced a 20 percent increase in prize money, a move the players described as a “welcome step forward". However, they also released a statement saying “that Wimbledon currently pays slightly below 15 percent of revenues to players as prize money", confirming they would continue with their planned media protest.

On the opening day of the grass-court Grand Slam, however, player representatives announced that “players have confirmed they will resume normal tournament media duties" following discussions with organisers.

“This decision is based on Wimbledon’s commitment to return with specific proposals… The underlying matters remain unresolved and players will carefully evaluate the proposals once received," the statement said.

“Dialogue with Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams will continue."

All England Club chief Sally Bolton welcomed the decision, saying it would allow the focus to shift back to the tournament.

“I think it’s great news that we and they can now just concentrate on the championships and on the tennis," she told reporters.

“We’ve had some really fruitful conversations over the weekend, they’ve been really positive, we’ve effectively agreed what we had agreed before, which is that we want to continue in positive dialogue."

This year’s Wimbledon singles champions will earn £3.6 million ($4.76 million), up from the £3 million received by 2025 champions Iga Swiatek and Sinner.

Sabalenka had expressed hope last week that the dispute could be resolved through discussions.

“I really hope we can finally get to the table and really get it done, come to a conclusion that everyone is going to be happy with," three-time semi-finalist Sabalenka said last week.

“Hopefully we’ll never have to do this again."

With AFP Inputs

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Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience ...Read More

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