Aryna Sabalenka has warned the grand slam tournaments that a player boycott could be on the cards.
A group of 20 leading players, including Sabalenka and fellow world number one Jannik Sinner, released a statement on Sunday night expressing ‘deep disappointment’ at the prize money on offer at the French Open later this month.
The same group of players first took action last spring in the form of a letter to the grand slams but they have become increasingly frustrated by a lack of progress.
They claim prize money will make up less than 15 per cent of revenue at Roland Garros this year – well short of the 22 per cent they are calling for – while the players are also unhappy at a lack of response to their demands for investment in welfare programmes and increased representation.
Speaking to reporters in Rome ahead of the Italian Open, Sabalenka said: “I feel like the show is on us.
“I feel like without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that entertainment. I feel like definitely we deserve to be paid more percentage.
“What can I say? I just really hope that all of the negotiation that we are having, we at some point are going to get to the right decision, to the conclusion that everyone will be happy with.”
Asked if the players would consider boycotting tournaments if their demands were not met, the Belarusian added: “I think at some point we will boycott it.
“I feel like that’s going to be the only way to kind of fight for our rights.”
Coco Gauff backed Sabalenka, saying of a potential boycott: “If everyone were to move as one and collaborate, I can 100 per cent see that.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the future of our sport and also the current players who aren’t getting as much benefits maybe as some of the top players are getting when it comes to like sponsorship and things like that. We’re making money off court.”
World number three Iga Swiatek was another signatory to the statement, and she added: “I think we’ve been pretty reasonable in terms of our proposal and getting the fair share of revenue.
“I think the increase of prize money is not exactly what we wanted because the percentage of revenue is going down.”
But the Pole stopped short of joining Sabalenka in backing a boycott, calling the idea “a bit extreme”.
On court at the Foro Italico, Bianca Andreescu won the first-round battle of the former slam champions 6-4 7-5 against Sofia Kenin, while Britain’s Jacob Fearnley qualified for the men’s tournament.
The 24-year-old has struggled this season – dropping outside the top 100 – and had been sidelined for more than a month with injury but he has posted two strong wins on his return, with a 2-6 6-2 6-3 victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic booking his spot in the main draw.