Milan, Apr 4 (LaPresse) – Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jasmine Paolini are among the 20 leading tennis players who signed a letter sent to the organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments requesting higher prize money and a greater say in what they called "decisions that directly concern us." The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press, is dated March 21 and begins with a request for an in-person meeting at the Madrid Open this month between player representatives and the four people it was addressed to: Craig Tiley of the Australian Open, Stephane Morel of the French Open, Sally Bolton of Wimbledon, and Lew Sherr of the U.S. Open. At the bottom of the letter are handwritten signatures of 10 of the top 11 women in the rankings as of the week of March 3 (with Elena Rybakina’s name missing) and the full list of the top 10 men from that week.
The women include No. 1 Sabalenka, Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa, and Mirra Andreeva. The men include No. 1 Sinner, who is currently serving a three-month doping suspension, 24-time major champion Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alex de Minaur. Of the 20, 15 have won at least one Grand Slam title or reached a major final. The players outline three areas they want to focus on. The Grand Slam tournaments should financially contribute to player welfare programs funded by the two pro tours. The prize pool should increase "to a more appropriate percentage relative to the tournament's income, reflecting the players' contribution to the tournament's value." Athletes should have more input in decisions "that directly impact the competition, as well as the health and well-being of the players."