Tennis players at Wimbledon 2026 have pulled the plug on their media protests after successful talks with All England Club chiefs.
Leading players, including World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, had said they would limit their media activity to 15 minutes both pre-tournament and after their matches in the first week.
The action was part of an ongoing campaign by the players, called Project RedEye, to force the Grand Slams to pay more prize money, contribute to player welfare programmes and give them a meaningful say in decision-making.
Why the 15-minute press media activity?
The players believe they are only paid 15.5 per cent of the tournament's revenue, a seven per cent decrease compared to allocations on ATP and WTA Tour events.
Symbolising the 15 per cent cut, a group of 20 leading tennis players limited their media activity to 15 minutes, comprising a 10-minute press conference and a five-minute interview with the host broadcaster, and refused any additional media duties.
Players break silence over media protests
After the boycott ended, a statement from the player group read, "Following constructive meetings between player representatives and AELTC leadership over the weekend, players have confirmed they will resume normal tournament media duties from Monday, June 29."
"This decision is based on Wimbledon's commitment to return with specific proposals addressing all three points of the players' July 2025 submission," they added.
Moreover, the statement said that while the players have resumed their media duties, the "underlying matters" still need to be addressed, and the players will be discussing their demands during the tournament.
"Constructive dialogue with Wimbledon and the other grand slams will continue. The players and the club will make no further comment at this time."
Details about tennis players' media protest
Last spring, the group first sent a letter to the four Grand Slams, and following the lack of progress, they escalated their campaign at the French Open, highlighting their frustration with the events.
The players have called for the percentage of revenue to be 16 per cent this year, climbing to a goal of 22 per cent by 2020, and they initially welcomed Wimbledon's significant 20 per cent increase.
Earlier this month, the All England Club announced record prize money for this year’s tournament, confirming the increase of the prize pool by 20 per cent.
Wimbledon’s prize money now stands at an overall £64.2 million, the breakdown of which sees the singles champions win a record £3.6 million each and first-round losers receiving £80,000.
While the AELTC were not happy about the escalation, the players failed to keep a united front during their media duties this weekend, with several players going over the 15-minute mark and others saying they were not taking part in the protest because they wanted to show appreciation for Wimbledon's actions.
Alex de Minaur said, "Wimbledon made a big step in the right direction, and something that should be noted. So this is for me to acknowledge their big step."
Meanwhile, tennis star Jannik Sinner appeared frustrated when asked to make a comment about the protest, telling his press conference that he wanted to "talk about tennis" and shutting down a question on player welfare.
Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), said on Monday, "Everyone is delighted that we've got to a place where we can all just focus on the Championships."
Notably, the grand slams argue that the players’ representatives underestimate the costs of running tournaments and staging important warm-up events.
