Wimbledon surprised and disappointed as players plan protest

LONDON – Wimbledon organisers have said that they are “surprised and disappointed” that leading players are planning to continue their prize money protest at the grass-court Grand Slam.

In June, the All England Club announced a record year-on-year 20 per cent rise in the total prize money to £64.2 million (S$109.6 million), less than the £70 million the players were calling for.

Players are demanding a larger slice of the revenue from the Grand Slams, in line with what they receive at ATP and WTA events. Some have protested at the recently concluded French Open by limiting their pre-tournament media activity to 15 minutes.

“Wimbledon puts the players at the heart of all our decisions and we invest significantly in them every year,” the All England Club said in a statement on June 24.

“This is alongside investing hundreds of millions of pounds in upgrades to our player facilities as part of a three-year transformation to create a world-class player performance environment.”

Wimbledon’s record prize money pool equates to around 15 per cent of the tournament’s total revenue but the group of leading players – represented by former WTA chief executive Larry Scott – wanted a minimum of 16 per cent.

Announcing the prize money in June, Wimbledon chair Debbie Jevans said she had discussed prize money with Scott at the French Open. She said unlike regular tournaments, Wimbledon distributes 90 per cent of its surplus back into British tennis.

“Using revenue to determine prize money makes no sense and we have said that to Larry Scott,” she said in June. “Revenue does not take into account the investment that we give. We are not-for-profit, and very different to a Masters 1000.”

In Paris, women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka cut short her pre-tournament press conference, while other players like men’s top-ranked star Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek also limited their time.

“We give much more than we are getting back. It’s not only for the top players, it’s for all of us players,” Sinner said previously. “It’s not nice that after one year, we are not even close to what we would like to have.”

Players have even threatened a future boycott.

June 27 is the traditional pre-tournament media day at Wimbledon and players are set to limit their time to 15 minutes and are reportedly planning to restrict post-match appearances to 15 minutes in the first week.

The 15-minute duration symbolises the 15 per cent share of Wimbledon’s takings set aside for prize money. REUTERS, AFP