Players to Expand Prize Money Protest at Wimbledon

Leading tennis players are set to escalate their protest over prize money at Wimbledon, despite a 20% increase in this year's pot. After some players limited pre-tournament media to 15 minutes at the recent French Open, they will go a step further at Wimbledon. They will not only restrict their time at the forthcoming media weekend but also plan to limit post-match appearances to 15 minutes throughout the first week of the championships, which start on Monday. The 15-minute limit is meant to symbolise the 15% of revenue which, broadly speaking, the Grand Slams allocate to prize money.

It is claimed the decision has the support of most of the world's top 20 players. In Paris, women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka cut short her pre-tournament press conference, while players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek also followed the 'work to rule' directive. But Novak Djokovic, who has regularly spoken out on behalf of players' rights, did not take part in the action.

Earlier this month, the players welcomed Wimbledon's 20% increase as a "genuine and significant step forward". The total prize fund at this year's championships will be £64.2m, following the largest annual increase in the event's history. The singles' champions will each take home £3.6m, with first-round losers paid £80,000. The players issued a statement describing the announcement as a "meaningful statement of intent" – while also pointing out it still does not equate to the 16% of tournament revenue they are requesting.

As well as campaigning for the Grand Slams to link prize money to tournament revenue, players are also asking for contributions to their benefit pool and a greater say in how the events are run. The total prize money sum is about £7m short of what the players had been hoping for. "We don't look at percentages, we don't actually believe that is the right metric," Deborah Jevans, the chair of the All England Club, told BBC Sport earlier this month. "It is one metric that is based purely on revenue and doesn't take into account any costs and we cannot run a business in that way. We have expenses – we have spoken about infrastructure and investment in grass court tennis. You cannot run a sustainable business, and we have nearly been around for 150 years, just by looking at revenue. That is just plainly wrong."