By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) – The Australian Open will offer a record A$111.5 million ($74.73 million) in prize money this year and while players welcomed the increase, top names like Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka said the push for a bigger payout must continue across the Grand Slams.
The world’s top players wrote a letter to the Grand Slams calling for significant improvements in prize money in April last year.
The French Open ($65.42 million) and Wimbledon ($71.60 million) boosted their prize pots last year, although they still fell short of the U.S. Open’s purse ($90 million).
Twice Grand Slam champion Gauff said the Australian Open’s increase was a positive step but more could be done considering the tournament’s revenue, which the Australian Financial Review reported was $467.33 million last year.
“The percentage, of revenue comparison, is still not where we would like it,” Gauff told reporters on Friday.
“There’s still further conversations that have to be had, not just with the Australian Open but with all Grand Slams. We have player representatives that have been working hard to do that a lot for us because we can’t do it, be in person as often.
“From my last update, the collective feeling is that ‘yes, there’s been progress’, but I think it’s not where we would like to see it.”
World number one Sabalenka echoed Gauff’s view but said at least the Grand Slams were listening to the players.
“I hope one day we’ll get to happy place for everyone,” she added.
The sport’s governing bodies are also facing a lawsuit filed by advocacy group the Professional Tennis Players’ Association which, though no longer associated with co-founder Novak Djokovic, is pushing for better pay and improved welfare.
Reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys said she was completely in favour of players being supported better by the Grand Slams.
“It’s really important. We give a lot of ourselves to this sport,” Keys said.
“They, being the highest revenue holders, it absolutely makes sense. As we’re the product, it makes sense for us to be partners. It’s been the most productive conversations we’ve had, which leads me to be cautiously optimistic for the future.”
The French Open said when it received the letter last year it was committed to working with players and stakeholders to develop tennis responsibly and collectively, while the U.S. Open welcomed open and direct conversations with players.
Men’s world number three Alexander Zverev said there had to be better cohesion among the sport’s stakeholders.
“It’s very difficult to get them in one room and talk about what is good for the future of tennis really,” he added.
“Maybe it’s a question towards those guys more than players, because we’re just bystanders. We’re playing the matches. We’re playing the tours. When we try to get into the politics, we don’t really have that much of a voice in it.
“Most of the time, it’s a lot of investment time-wise from our side but not a lot of results which is sometimes upsetting.”
($1 = 1.4921 Australian dollars)
($1 = 0.8614 euros)
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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