The top players on the ATP and WTA Tours have been asking for more money from the Grand Slams recently.
Earlier this year, the top ten players in men’s and women’s tennis sent a letter to the Grand Slams demanding a fairer share of the revenue.
Another letter has now been sent, with players piling the pressure on the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
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Two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff has signed both letters, along with some of her biggest rivals on the WTA Tour.
Following her quarterfinal win in Beijing, Gauff explained why she decided to sign off on the second letter.
Coco Gauff thinks change is important for the tennis ‘ecosystem’
During her post-match press conference, the world number three was asked why she added her name to both letters.
“I think for me personally, I think for the long run of our sport, the whole ecosystem, I think it’s really important,” said Gauff.
“As we know in this sport, the Grand Slams are generating the most revenue, at least the stats and the percentages they gave me, when you look at the percentage of that revenue going to prize money, it is not the same as the WTA and ATP, even though they’re generating less revenue than the Slams.”
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Gauff then proceeded to explain what some people are failing to understand about the letters being sent to the Grand Slams.
“I think it’s important for the whole ecosystem of the sport,” she said.
“Sometimes people are focused on just the prize money. We’re not talking about just raising the prize money for the champion, but trickling all the way down to qualies.
“We kind of want them to invest more in the tour as a whole, not only when it comes to prize money, but the well-being of players and just trickling that down, all the way down to the lower-ranked players as well.
“Our 200th best player, 300th best player are struggling to make ends meet. In other leagues, it’s not that common, especially with the revenue that tennis is generating.”
2025 WTA prize money earnings by ranking
World number 300 Yuriko Miyazaki has earned less than $100,000 this year, which isn’t much when you consider the costs involved with travel and paying coaching staff.
The 21-year-old isn’t sure how long it will take before things get better, but is determined to make a difference.
“I think for me it was important for the long run of the sport, I don’t know if it will happen in my career lifetime in this sport, where it reaches that. I want to leave the sport better than I found it,” said Gauff.
“Obviously, all the top-ten players agree. I think this is the first time on the tour we’ve gotten both the top ten of both men and women to sign something and agree to something. I think it’s a big step.
“I know they’re having conversations. Hopefully, we can reach a solution in the near future.”
Gauff wants to see her fellow players earn more, but surely won’t have any concerns about the prize money she’s received during her career.
After all, she received the biggest prize fund in WTA history last year…
Coco Gauff earned $4.8 million in Saudi Arabia
Last November, Gauff won the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, defeating Qinwen Zheng in the final.
In doing so, Gauff earned $4.805 million, the biggest prize money cheque in the history of the WTA Tour.
When told about the money she’d just earned, Gauff could hardly believe the figures.
“Oh really! I didn’t know, jeez. I knew it was some money but I didn’t know it was that much. It means a lot to me,” she said.
“I am not someone who likes to spend a lot of money to be honest. I don’t know what I will do with it. That’s a lot of money.”
In total, Gauff has earned $28,135,961 during her career, enough to see her sit 11th in the all-time list.
23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is number one on the list, having earned $94,816,830.
Only time will tell if Gauff can catch Williams before the end of her career, but you certainly wouldn’t want to bet against her.
Gauff will look to pick up some more prize money and an 11th career title in Beijing, as she now prepares for her semifinal match against either Amanda Anisimova or Jasmine Paolini on Saturday, October 4.