Several players have discussed the possibility of boycotting Grand Slams in protest of unfair revenue distribution.
Disappointed with the prize money on offer at the upcoming French Open, Aryna Sabalenka said she would consider a boycott, as did her rival Coco Gauff.
Is a French Open boycott realistic?
Players aren't happy with the prize money on offer…
Former world number one Andy Roddick has now delivered his verdict on a potential boycott.
Andy Roddick says boycotting the French Open would be ‘idiotic’ with Wimbledon right around the corner
During the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, the 2003 US Open champion said the following.
“Here’s a couple of things. There’s a lot of talk about a boycott,” said Roddick.
“Let’s just think this through, because I’ve thought this through for 20 years.
“I know this, kind of for sure, it would be idiotic to boycott the French Open and then short side yourself for negotiations and lock yourself into a three-week negotiation before Wimbledon comes up.
2026 Grand Slam schedule
| Grand Slam | Surface | Dates | Latest winners |
| Australian Open | Hard | January 18 – February 1 | 2026 – Carlos Alcaraz/Elena Rybakina |
| French Open | Clay | May 24 – June 7 | 2025 – Carlos Alcaraz/Coco Gauff |
| Wimbledon | Grass | June 29 – July 12 | 2025 – Jannik Sinner/Iga Swiatek |
| US Open | Hard | August 30 – September 13 | 2025 – Carlos Alcaraz/Aryna Sabalenka |
“Because if you boycott the French Open, then Wimbledon comes up and you don’t have a deal yet…
“It ain’t going to be the French Open, that would be absurdly dumb.
“No, it’s not going to happen.
“You’re not going to boycott Wimbledon, because then you have six weeks until the US Open.
“You need space to negotiate after an extreme action. I don’t see that.”
Roddick can’t see players boycotting Roland Garros or Wimbledon because of their place in the Grand Slam calendar.
His comments do, however, suggest a US Open or Australian Open boycott would make more sense.
Players could skip either event with minimal risk of missing another if discussions take longer than expected.
Roddick was then asked whether he thought the ATP Tour and WTA Tour could do more to help.
“Well, you mention the tours stepping up, ‘We represent the players’, alright great, then shorten the season,” he said.
“Deal with your number-one complaint first. That would give you a lot more credibility in the room with the players. We’ve been asking for this for I don’t know how long, do we need to boycott the World Tour Finals to get what we want?
“But if I’m going to be critical, I have to point out that the tours are paying out a much bigger percentage with much lower revenues, so they are overextending way more than the Slams.
“What can the tours do?
“Withhold points from the Grand Slams?
Grand Slam points (ATP)
- Winner – 2,000
- Final – 1,300
- Semi-final – 800
- Quarter-final – 400
- Fourth round – 200
- Third round – 100
- Second round – 50
- First round – 10
Grand Slam points (WTA)
- Winner – 2,000
- Final – 1,300
- Semi-final – 780
- Quarter-final – 430
- Fourth round – 240
- Third round – 130
- Second round – 70
- First round – 10
“You’re the tours, you’re going to blow up your relationship [with the Grand Slams]?
“That’s like Tito demanding a solo in the Jackson Five.
“Novak’s ranking in this scenario would probably not be top-100, maybe it’s 80?
“We’re happy with that solution?
“That’s realistic? No! Nope.”
Roddick named Novak Djokovic as an example, but just how badly would he be affected if Grand Slams didn’t offer ranking points?
Novak Djokovic would be ranked outside the world’s top 40 without Grand Slam points
The 24-time Grand Slam champion currently sits fourth in the ATP rankings.
Official ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 14,350 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,960 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,805 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4,700 |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,050 |
Djokovic has 4,700 points to his name, although most of those were earned at the four major tournaments.
Novak Djokovic’s 4700 points
- 2026 Australian Open – 1,300 points
- 2025 US Open – 800 points
- 2025 Wimbledon – 800 points
- 2025 French Open – 800 points
- 2025 Shanghai Masters – 400 points
- 2025 Geneva Open – 250 points
- 2025 Hellenic Championships – 250 points
- 2026 Indian Wells – 100 points
If you were to subtract Grand Slam points from his total, the Serb would be left with 1,000 points.
Which would hypothetically see him drop out of the world’s top 40.
Novak Djokovic’s ATP ranking without Grand Slam points
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 44 | Mariano Navone | Argentina | 1,046 |
| 45 | Adriano Mannarino | France | 1,035 |
| 46 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 1,000 |
| 47 | Gabriel Diallo | Canada | 1,000 |
| 48 | Marin Cilic | Croatia | 980 |
Luckily for Djokovic, it’s unlikely that the tours will withhold ranking points from the Grand Slams!
It remains to be seen if players will boycott Grand Slams, although if Roddick is right, we shouldn’t expect anyone to miss Roland Garros or Wimbledon this summer.
