Djokovic, Gauff, other players ask for more money, say more

Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are one of the 20 leading tennis players who have signed a letter that was sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam tournaments that were more prize money and a bigger word looking in what they '' decisions are directly on us'.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained on Thursday by the Associated Press, was dated on March 21 and starts with a request for a personal meeting on Madrid of this month open between representatives of the players and the four people to whom it was tackled: Craig Tiley of the Australian Open, Stephane Morel of Wimblonton of Wimpton of Wimpton and Lewon of Wimpon van Wimpon van Wimpon van Bolton van Wimpton Open.

At the bottom of the message are the handwritten signatures of 10 of the top 11 women in the ranking of the week of 3 March – the name of Elena Rybakina is missing – and the full list of the top 10 men that week.

The women are the number 1 arranged Sabalenka, Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva. The men are the number 1-arranged sinner-who is currently a three-month doping ban,-24-time-big champion Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Restblev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minur.

Of the 20, 15 have won at least one Grand Slam title or reached a grand finale.

The players outline three areas on which they want to concentrate:

Grand Slam tournaments must make financial contributions to the welfare programs of players that are financed by the two Pro Tours.

Prize money should increase “to a more suitable percentage of the tournament income, a reflection of the contribution of the players to tournament salad.”

The athletes must have more control over decisions “that directly affect the competition, as well as the health of players and well -being.”

News about the letter-Die was first mentioned by the French sports newspaper L'Equipe arrival about two weeks after the Djokovic co-founder of the Players' Association has submitted an antitrust procedure against the professional tours of the women and men, the International Tennis Federation and the Integrity Agency of the Integrity Agency of the Sports Agency. Djokovic was not mentioned as one of the claimants, because he said he wanted to see other players perform.

That suit is looking for more money for players, who ends up too little of the income in the hands of the athletes and a series of other complaints about how the sport is run is recorded.

The antitruit question last month included a reference to a report “that the US Open generated more income from the sale of one specialty cocktail ($ 12.8 million) than it combined to the men's and women's champions.”

The American tennis club offered a record of $ 75 million in total reimbursement – including prize money and payments to cover the costs of players – for his Grand Slam Tournament in 2024. That was an increase of approximately 15% compared to the $ 65 million offered in 2023 at the US Open.

Based on currency exchange figures at the times of events, Wimbledon had around $ 64 million last year in prizes, with the French Open and Australian open both at around $ 58 million.

“The USTA is always available for and welcomes open and direct conversations with players, either on site at the US Open or at another point of the year, because we are consistently looking for ways to improve our event for players and fans,” said spokesperson Brendan McINTYRE in a written statement.

“The USTA is incredibly proud of the leadership of the US Open in player compensation during its history and our support to grow professional tennis, not only in the United States, but worldwide,” he wrote. “This includes offering equal prize money to men and women for more than 50 years and granting the largest wallet in tennis history on the US Open 2024.”

The next Grand Slam tournament is the French open, with Main-Traw competitions that start in Paris on 25 May.