Madison Keys has now spoken about undeniably the most prevalent topic in tennis right now, after winning her opening round match at the Italian Open.
After all, fans and journalists are all keen to see where players fall in this Grand Slam boycott threat, and just how united their cause is.
Aryna Sabalenka began the boycott threats, with many other stars rallying behind her.
However, Emma Raducanu conversely said that she wouldn’t boycott Grand Slams, suggesting that not every player is aligned.
Madison Keys has now admitted that, whilst being surprised by the emergence of this news, she too supports the fight.
Madison Keys throws support behind Aryna Sabalenka’s boycott threat
Asked about Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner’s statements on the topic, the American began by admitting: “I was a little surprised.”
However, she swiftly explained why: “To be totally honest, I was so not tuned in. I kept getting text messages, Are you going to boycott? In Paris? What are you talking about? What’s happening?
Is a French Open boycott realistic?
Players aren't happy with the prize money on offer…
“It’s great to see the top players speaking out, taking initiative, being vocal about the issues that have always been issues but continue to be issues.
“I think it’s really important that players have a voice and they get a seat at the table to actually make some of those decisions.”
Having often been a vocal advocate for player welfare, Keys then noted that this could be the ‘most unified’ she has ever seen the sport’s elite stars.
She added: “There’s genuinely a large group of people who have said, I think now is the time to actually do something. We kind of need to stand up for it. Things need to change.
“I’m cautiously optimistic. I mean, obviously, you hope that it never gets to the point of actually having to do anything radical. Just the fact that all the players seem to be very unified, have one voice, has been very nice.”
Why the players are justified in threatening the Grand Slam tournament
Whilst on the surface, many will lambast these top players for simply wanting more money for themselves, it does go far deeper than that.
After all, whilst that would be an obvious benefit, and one that they do deserve, it is how these proposed changes would impact those lower down on the ATP and WTA Tours that really matters.
2026 Prize money list (ATP Tour)
- 1. Jannik Sinner – $5,540,127
- 2. Carlos Alcaraz – $4,365,354
- 3. Alexander Zverev – $3,114,124
- 25. Stefanos Tsitsipas – $860,135
- 50. Andrea Vavassori – $536,681
- 100. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – $294,733
- 150. Mackenzie McDonald – $200,020
- 200. Laslo Djere – $122,497
- 250. Justin Engel – $76,077
- 500. David Jorda Sanchis – $16,849
- 1,000. Tom Zeuch – $3,557
2026 Prize money list (WTA Tour)
- 1. Elena Rybakina – $4,055,262
- 2. Aryna Sabalenka – $4,020,272
- 3. Jessica Pegula – $2,393,343
- 25. Maria Sakkari – $629,669
- 50. Elena-Gabriela Ruse – $448,980
- 100. Anhelina Kalinina – $226,163
- 150. Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah – $117,970
- 200. Varvara Lepchenko – $73,435
- 250. Kayla Cross – $47,074
- 500. Lara Salden – $8,042
- 1,000. Ava Rodriguez – $1,416
Tennis is a unique sport which has extremely high costs, regardless of what level a player is at.
There are huge expenses to hire a team, fly them all around the world, and thus receive the very least that a budding professional could expect. The fact that it is a solo sport only makes these issues even rarer.
Tennis Channel’s graphic perfectly exemplified where the main issue lies, as Roland Garros will only put 14.9% of its revenue into the player prize fund. Comparing that with the NBA and MLB, which were closer to 50%, and the problem is laid bare.
Do you think Emma Raducanu’s stance is correct? 🤔
Jannik Sinner, Sabalenka, Keys and Coco Gauff are not speaking out for their own benefit. These are all Grand Slam champions, and will have multi-million dollar endorsement deals on top of their multi-million dollar career prize money earnings.
Their fight is for the rest of the tour, and that is why it is so important.
