For fans ready to enjoy the television coverage of the French Open, it will be harder to hear from their favorite players.
Some of the top athletes on both the men’s and women’s side will be enacting a media strike as a protest over the tournament’s revenue split, according to The Athletic.
The group of striking players reportedly includes plenty ranked in the top 20, including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.
Despite the pushback, the tournament is not changing its percentage split, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
The strike stems from the percentage of revenue allocated to the prize poll.
The players claim their split has of the prize pool has been reduced to 14.3 percent, per the AP, and the players are looking to increase that percentage to 22 percent.
The striking players will walk out of their pre-tournament press conference after 15 minutes in reference to the approximate 15-percent split.
Players reportedly will also decline interviews with the French Open Media and the primary rights holders, TNT and Eurosport.
“We regret the players’ decision, which impacts all of the tournament’s stakeholders: the media, broadcasters, the FFT and the entire tennis community, all of whom follow each edition of Roland-Garros with great enthusiasm,” spokesperson for the French Tennis Federation (FFT) told The Athletic.
The Grand Slams have recently been raising their prize pools.
The Australian Open reportedly increased it by 16 percent, the U.S. Open increased its pool by 21 percent and Wimbledon increased its pool by seven percent.
However, all of these new values still fall short of the players wanted 22% of revenue.
This year’s French Open pot has increased by 10 percent, which translates to roughly 5.3 million Euros, according to the AP.
The champions reportedly will received 2.8 million Euros.
“The FFT is ready to engage in direct and constructive dialogue on governance issues, with a view to giving players a greater say in decision-making, contributing to players’ welfare and evolutions in the value-sharing model,” the FFT spokesperson said.
The Athletic reports those talks could start as early as this week and they would include FFT president Gilles Moretton and the French Open Tournament Director Amélie Mauresmo.
Former ATP player and Ex-WTA chief executive Larry Scott reportedly has been advising the players throughout the debate and is also expected to be a part of the talks.
To avoid fines, the players will still conduct flash interviews with the broadcasting team after their matches.
But for the time being, that might be the only way to hear from the stars on the court as the French Open starts May 24.
