Tennis players are unhappy with the prize money on offer at Grand Slams.
Expressing their frustration, several players cut their press conferences short at the French Open.
Some, including Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, did the same at Wimbledon, although the protests have subsided, at least for now.
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Former British number one Greg Rusedski has now delivered his verdict on the protests.
Greg Rusedski says players need to be educated as he laughs off prize money protests
Appearing as a guest on ‘Talk Sport‘, Rusedski was asked for his thoughts on prize money protests.
“I’m laughing this off,” he said.
“Wimbledon is a business. You’re invited to come play. Most players don’t understand that the costs for the All England Club is a certain few hundred million to run the event and to do the TV, the upgrades, all these things.
“So they have a £100 million profit, £50 million of that goes to the LTA to build tennis in this country, the other £50 million basically goes to the players with prize money.
“They increased the prize money again.
“From my point of view, it’s a little bit ridiculous.”
Rusedski doesn’t understand the logic behind the media protests.
“I had this discussion actually with two of the top agents in the business, and both players have won Grand Slams,” he said.
“One agent was like, ‘My player is going to boycott,’ the other one, who has been around a little bit longer, said, ‘This is ridiculous, 15 minutes to the press?’ Do you want to alienate the press? What is this going to do?
“I think you need to educate the players!”
Rusedski then compared the prize money on offer at Wimbledon this year to when he last played the event, in 2006.
“I retired in 2006, first-round prize money for me then was £10,000,” he said.
“I don’t think inflation has gone to £80,000 in 20 years.
2026 Wimbledon prize money (Singles)
- Champion – £3,600,000
- Runner-up – £1,800,000
- Semi-finalist – £900,000
- Quarter-finalist – £480,000
- Fourth round – £300,000
- Third round – £185,000
- Second round – £126,000
- First round – £80,000
- Qualifying – third round – £50,000
- Qualifying – second round – £32,000
- Qualifying – first round – £20,000
“That’s nearly an 800% increase in prize money for a first-round loss.
“I kind of feel like, yes, players always want to get more money, but they have to be educated on how the system actually works.”
Rusedski isn’t the only person defending Wimbledon and their prize money offerings, as the All England Club Chief Executive, Sally Bolton, shared her disappointment with the planned protests during an interview with ‘BBC Sport‘ before the tournament began.
“We’re somewhat surprised and disappointed that that’s the decision that some of those players have taken,” she said.
“As you’ll be aware, we are offering a 20% increase in prize money this year, it’s the single biggest increase in prize money we’ve ever offered at the Championships.
“In addition to that, the players are here practising this week, so they are seeing the multi-million-pound investment that we’ve made in their facilities.
“Over time, players have asked for more space and a better environment in which to perform, and we’ve offered them that too, so it is a little disappointing and surprising that they’ve decided to take this action.”
There are certainly arguments to be made on both sides, but when looking at the money Wimbledon is offering, it can be hard to feel sorry for the players.
Who has earned the most prize money in tennis this year?
Sabalenka and Sinner have been at the forefront of the prize money debate, but has anyone else earned more than them this year?
Top 10 prize money earners (2026)
| Rank | ATP/WTA | Name | 2026 Prize money |
| 1 | ATP | Jannik Sinner | $6,871,604 |
| 2 | ATP | Alexander Zverev | $6,654,867 |
| 3 | WTA | Mirra Andreeva | $5,411,346 |
| 4 | WTA | Aryna Sabalenka | $4,681,989 |
| 5 | WTA | Elena Rybakina | $4,412,405 |
| 6 | ATP | Carlos Alcaraz | $4,365,354 |
| 7 | WTA | Elina Svitolina | $3,440,728 |
| 8 | ATP | Flavio Cobolli | $3,222,226 |
| 9 | WTA | Coco Gauff | $2,904,919 |
| 10 | WTA | Jessica Pegula | $2,823,009 |
Sinner is the top earner this year, but Sabalenka has accumulated less prize money than the two French Open champions, Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva.
Sabalenka could jump to the top of the list if she wins the Wimbledon title, but will first focus on her fourth-round match against Naomi Osaka.
Sinner, on the other hand, will prepare to take on Shintaro Mochizuki.
