Gauff: Prize Money at Slams Still Not Up to Snuff

Last March Coco Gauff joined a group of 20 top players in putting her name to a signed letter that made significant demands to the heads of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Among them the following topics:

That Grand Slam tournaments make financial contributions to player welfare programs funded by the ATP and WTA.

That prize money should increase to a more reasonable percentage of tournament revenues, based on the contribution that players make to the overall value of the Slams.

That players should have more of a say in decisions “directly impacting competition, as well as player health and welfare.”

The women were Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva. The men were Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur. 

They met in Paris in the spring, then they sent a follow-up letter last summer.

Last October, Gauff said: “I think for me personally, I think for the long run of our sport, the whole ecosystem, I think it’s really important.

A few months later, the American says that the situation is still far from being resolved.

Gauff says her contingent appreciates increases in prize money, which happen regularly at every Grand Slam, but urges that the players still receive a lower percentage of overall revenue than is desired.

“From my understanding, they obviously increased the prize money this year,” Gauff told reporters. “The percentage is still, of revenue comparison, is still not where we would like it.

“I think there’s still further conversations that have to be had, not just with the Australian Open but with all the slams. We have player representatives that have been working really hard to do that a lot for us because we can’t do it, be in person as often.

But yeah, I would like to, from my last update, the collective feeling is that, yes, there’s been progress, but I still think it’s not where we would like to see it. We are grateful for the progress that has been made.

Gauff was in attendance during a player meeting with the heads of the majors in Paris at Roland-Garros last year.

 I imagine that there will be continually more meetings. I think the French Open was, like, the big meeting that, at least I was a part of and that I saw a lot of players also be a part of.

But yeah, I think no one wants this conversation to be continuing for years and years. So I would imagine that we would continue to have those conversations and maybe more pressure being applied with, like, especially the top 10.

“I imagine that there will be continually more meetings,” Gauff told reporters in Melbourne. “I think the French Open was, like, the big meeting that, at least I was a part of and that I saw a lot of players also be a part of.

“I think no one wants this conversation to be continuing for years and years. So I would imagine that we would continue to have those conversations and maybe more pressure being applied with, like, especially the top 10.”