Sabalenka defends Wimbledon prize money protest, says it's for struggling players

Wimbledon top seed Aryna Sabalenka has defended the protest by leading players over prize money, despite the grass-court Grand Slam increasing its total prize fund by a record 20% this year.

The world number one is part of a group represented by former WTA executive Larry Scott, demanding a larger share of Grand Slam revenues and better welfare for players.

This year's Wimbledon prize purse is £64.2 million ($84.7 million), equivalent to about 15% of tournament revenue, below the 16% (roughly £70 million, $92.4 million) players are demanding.

As at the French Open, where Sabalenka and others limited pre-tournament media duties in protest, the Belarusian held a brief press conference.

“It's a great start that they increased the prize money. That's an incredible start. If you look back over the last ten years, compare prize money to 2016, it's almost the same (percentage-wise) because it went down,” she told reporters.

“I really hope that eventually we can sit at the negotiating table and resolve this issue, come to a conclusion that everyone is happy with. Hopefully we will never have to do this again.”

A first Wimbledon title would earn Sabalenka £3.6 million ($4.7 million), up from the £3 million ($4 million) awarded to 2025 champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. First-round losers will receive £80,000 ($106,000), up from £66,000 ($87,100).

Asked whether top players' complaints – many of whom are millionaires – might not resonate with the public amid rising ticket and food prices, the four-time Grand Slam champion said: “We're doing this for the whole tennis community, not for ourselves.

“We do it for the rest of the players who are struggling to even hire a coach. It's not an easy life for lower-ranked players.”

“I'm sure the audience understands. I mean, we play matches, we are there, we compete, we deliver the performance. Now we are just limiting our media. We're just trying to achieve something where everyone is happy.”

The All England Club this week said it was “surprised and disappointed” by the protest, and that a proposal to set up a player council to address issues had been rejected. “This year's total prize money is the largest increase in the history of our championships.”

“This comes alongside investment of hundreds of millions of pounds in upgrading player facilities as part of a three-year transformation plan to create a world-class environment,” the statement said.

Sabalenka, 28, arrives at Wimbledon with her confidence affected after a collapse at the French Open, losing the last 10 games in a quarterfinal defeat to Russian Diana Shnaider. She said she has now moved on with the help of a psychologist. “Overall I feel things are heading in the right direction.”