Top players criticize French Open prize money and unresolved welfare demands

Sport

Top players criticize French Open prize money and unresolved welfare demands

2026-05-05 00:51 Last Updated At：01:00

Top players including No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka expressed “their deep disappointment” at the French Open prize money on Monday.

The players, most of them from the top 10 in the ATP and WTA, added their other demands have not been addressed by officials from the four Grand Slam tournaments, including better representation, health and pensions.

French Open organizers announced last month they were increasing overall prize money by about 10% for an overall pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million), with the total amount up 5.3 million euros from last year.

But the players' statement said “the underlying figures tell a very different story,” claiming they will receive a smaller share of tournament revenues.

“Players’ share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026,” the players said.

“According to tournament officials, Roland Garros generated 395 million euros in revenue in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.

"With estimated revenues of over 400 million euros for this year’s tournament, prize money as a percentage of revenue will likely still be less than 15%, far short of the 22% that players have requested to bring the Grand Slams into line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events.”

French Open organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The Australian Open this year increased the players' compensation by 16%, and the U.S. Open prize money last year went up by 20%.

The same group of players sent a letter a year ago to the heads of the four Grand Slams seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called “decisions that directly impact us.” However, the communications firm that released the statement on Monday said it was issued in the name of the original signatories to the initial letter, later adding that Novak Djokovic had not signed the new statement.

The players said they remain “united in their desire to see meaningful progress, both in terms of fair financial distribution and in how the sport is governed.”

They insisted they have not received any response to their proposals on welfare, including pension and long-term health, adding that no progress has been made “on fair and transparent player representation within Grand Slam decision-making.”

“While other major international sports are modernizing governance, aligning stakeholders, and building long-term value, the Grand Slams remain resistant to change. The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sport’s success.”

Play begins on May 24 at Roland Garros.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Western Europe bakes under a 'heat dome' as temperatures climb and authorities warn of health risks

LONDON (AP) — Much of western Europe baked under a “heat dome” Wednesday as temperatures soared toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in places, and weather agencies warned that the extreme conditions could endanger lives across countries, many of which have limited air conditioning.

A day after France recorded its hottest-ever day, the U.K. recorded its hottest June day, with 35.8 C (96.4 F) reported in Wiggonholt in southern England. The national weather forecaster issued a "red heat health” alert for much of central and southern England, as well as Wales. In northwest France, tens of thousands of homes sweltered after the heat knocked out electricity.

Authorities warned people to take extra care when swimming in unsupervised areas, such as rivers or lakes, following the deaths of around 40 people in France over the past week.

In the U.K., which has a reputation for being gray and drizzly even in summer, the heat was particularly uncomfortable, not least because so much of the country's infrastructure, such as buildings and transportation systems, was built for cooler weather.

The heat dome — a stationary high-pressure system that traps heat and humidity — took shape at a time when human-caused climate change fuels increasingly extreme weather. The U.N. climate agency projects that the next five years will likely shatter more heat records.

“Heat waves are becoming more frequent, longer and hotter with climate change, as a direct result of the fossil fuels we are releasing as a society,” said Hayley Fowler, a professor at the Centre for Climate and Environmental Resilience at Newcastle University in the northeast of England. “We can expect to have to cope with more and more of these types of events in the years to come.”

More than 1,000 schools in England have closed due to the heat, and many train services have been canceled, with passengers being urged to avoid nonessential travel in areas covered by the warning.

Network Rail, which operates Britain’s railroad network, warned of “significant disruption” across England and Wales as it imposed speed restrictions to minimize the risk from heat-related issues such as buckled tracks and sagging overhead electric wires.

Eurostar, which connects the U.K. to continental Europe under the English Channel, said it canceled four trains planned between London and Paris for Wednesday and Thursday.

The red heat warning was only the second issued by U.K. authorities following July 2022, when temperatures exceeded 40 C (104 F) for the first time. The temperature is set to fall short of 40 C on Wednesday but could breach that level — considered almost unimaginable not long ago — on Thursday.

“Red warnings are reserved for the most severe events," said Mark Sidaway, deputy chief forecaster for the Met Office, the U.K. weather agency. He said officials expected the effects to extend "beyond those who are normally more vulnerable to the heat.”

In France, Italy and Spain, more than 100 million people were warned to be extra vigilant about the dangers of the heat wave.

On Tuesday, France's average of temperatures measured at 30 weather stations was 29.8 C (85.6 F), the latest in a series of never-before-registered highs heaped on Europe’s largest country.

Unsurprisingly, many of the country's major attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum in Paris, have restricted visiting hours. Schools and transportation schedules were also upended.

Tens of thousands of homes in northwest France were without power after two electrical transformers in Brittany were taken out of service late Tuesday following an explosion apparently linked to the heat wave. Around 68,000 households were still affected by the power outage on Wednesday.

In Italy, 16 cities, including Rome, Milan, Florence and Turin, were under heat alerts. The “bollino rosso” signals that the risks are not restricted to the elderly.

Temperatures were predicted to climb toward 41 C (105 F) in Florence and 38 C (104 F) in Milan, while Rome and Naples were forecast to stay below 36 C (96.8 F).

In Vatican City, the faithful fanned themselves and huddled under umbrellas in St. Peter’s Square to attend Pope Leo XIV’s weekly audience.

“We did not feel any heat at all, only great love for the pope,” said Monica Ruiz, a 52-year-old pilgrim from Spain.

Fashion journalists sweated through runway shows in Milan’s fashion capital earlier this week.

One designer, Philipp Plein, had to change his venue just four hours before the show due to an air conditioning malfunction, while others provided hand-held fans, misters and umbrellas as protection against the sun and heat for outdoor shows.

Designers broadly agreed that a well-dressed man still wears a suit. The challenge was how to survive the heat. The response was ventilation, with dress shirts left unbuttoned or, in some cases, simply done away with.

Even the British decided it was too hot for unneeded layers of clothing. Male journalists covering the U.K.'s tradition-bound Parliament were allowed to remove their jackets Wednesday in the press gallery of the House of Commons.

One remedy being touted came from soccer's World Cup, which is currently taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The European Trade Union Confederation said employers should offer the same cooling breaks used at the World Cup and grant all workers paid breaks to help keep them safe in intense heat.

“Taking a break in high temperatures is a commonsense precaution, but too many employers are refusing to put these and other necessary measures in place or even discuss them with trade unions, leading to a rising number of avoidable deaths in European workplaces,” ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch said.

Businesses across Europe have heeded that advice.

At a major building project spanning Paris’ busy ring road, construction workers have shifted to earlier hours. Managers at the site have introduced staggered schedules, with most workers now starting at 6 a.m. and finishing around 1 p.m.

“As soon as the sun comes out, the workers are really going to take time to take breaks every hour and cool down,” deputy site manager Travis Demarque said.

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Colleen Barry in Milan, Samuel Petrequin and Alexander Turnbull in Paris and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.