Jessica Pegula is organizing top tennis players in a renewed protest with the Grand Slams over how much of tournament revenue goes to prize money, and she says she has taken on a leadership role as the fight hardens ahead of the French Open.
Pegula said in Rome that she has been reaching out to players on both the men’s and women’s sides. She described the campaign as a collective push that will need the biggest names to keep speaking up if tournament bosses are going to listen.
"I think it maybe does just because I feel like I've taken on a bit of a leadership role with it," Pegula said. "I'm not afraid to go up to any type of player and go like, 'Hey, are you interested in this or not?'"
Her comments land just as the dispute is getting louder. Aryna Sabalenka said last week that players should consider a boycott to win a bigger slice of tournament revenue, while Jannik Sinner said there is a lack of respect. Pegula said the public backing from the world No. 1s matters because the players are harder to ignore when the sport’s biggest names are willing to speak plainly.
"It's been nice to see Aryna and Jannik kind of step out. I know a lot of other players feel the same way. But to have the two No. 1s very outspoken about it, that's kind of what it takes to get them to listen," she said.
The pressure campaign is not new. A year ago, the same group of players sent a letter to the heads of the four Grand Slams seeking more prize money and a greater say in decision-making. Last month, Roland Garros organizers announced that overall prize money would rise by about 10% to an overall pot of $72.1 million, but players say the share still falls short. The upcoming French Open is allegedly devoting under 14.9% to the players, down from 15.5% in 2024, and they say that still does not match the 22% rate at regular ATP and WTA Tour events.
Pegula said the imbalance is the part players keep circling back to. "It's crazy. It's an insane difference," she said, adding that tennis has stayed too old-school for too long. "Obviously they're different sports. They're run differently. But tennis has been a very old-school sport. I think it's one of the things that needs to change. Sometimes change is good. Sometimes that means fighting for things."
The timing gives the dispute real weight. The French Open is due to start in less than two weeks, and Wimbledon is due to announce its prize money next month after increasing its 2025 total pot by 7%. The US Open raised its 2025 total pot by 20%, and the Australian Open increased its total pot in January by 16%, yet the players say the Grand Slams still lag far behind tour events on revenue sharing.
There is also a practical problem behind the public pressure: tennis players do not have the leverage that athletes in salary-based leagues often wield. Pegula said it is hard to get players to come together because they are not playing for guaranteed pay, and she said the group has not had a response from the All England Club. "The slams have kind of just gotten away with paying not that much because we're a very individual sport," she said. "It's hard to get players to come together. We're not on a salary where football players or basketball players can afford not to play."
That makes the next few weeks important. Pegula has already been named this year to lead a new 13-person panel to suggest changes to the women’s tennis calendar, rankings points rules and the requirements about competing in certain events, giving her a broader role in the sport at the same time she is pressing the Grand Slams over money. With the French Open close and Wimbledon’s prize announcement still ahead, the players are trying to turn private frustration into a bargaining position before the season’s biggest stage arrives.
