Players at Wimbledon are employing a strategy of reduced media appearances to protest what they describe as a decline in prize money percentages compared to tournament revenue over the past decade. This follows a similar protest at the French Open last month.
Defending men's champion Jannik Sinner declined to answer questions about the protest, stating he wished to focus solely on tennis. He initially spoke in English before switching to Italian. Iga Swiatek, the defending women's champion, and former world number one Daniil Medvedev also curtailed their media commitments, limiting themselves to one main news conference and a few broadcast interviews.
Medvedev suggested that the actions at the French Open had contributed to pushing Wimbledon to address the issue. "We're not accountants but we're processing the information we are given," he said. "We're seeing the percentage of the revenue is lower than 10 years ago, so we're kind of getting less money. We're pushing for something more which we think is fair. Nobody is angry - it is just a discussion."
On Saturday, agents for some players were observed timing their news conferences, with moderators reportedly being urged to conclude them quickly. All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton expressed surprise and disappointment at the protest tactic to BBC Sport on Friday.
Alex de Minaur, the sixth seed from Australia, participated in similar protests at the French Open but opted out of the Wimbledon action. "I thought that Wimbledon made a big step in the right direction, and something that should be noted," de Minaur stated. "So this is for me to acknowledge their big step."
Aryna Sabalenka, a four-time major champion, has voiced her hope that leading players will not need to resort to boycotting Grand Slam media duties again due to prize money protests.