Wimbledon 2026: All England Club ‘surprised and disappointed’ as leading players will continue prize money protests

The All England Club say are "surprised and disappointed" after the world's leading players announced they will continue to protest the allocation of Grand Slam prize funds at the upcoming Wimbledon Grand Slam.

Earlier this month it was announced that players will benefit from record prize-money increases at this year's event, with the total prize pot rising by 20 per cent (£10.7m) to £64.2m - the largest in the tournament's history.

Player representatives called this "a genuine step forward" but added, "issues remain unresolved".

It comes after some of the world's top players, including Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, called on the Grand Slams to give them a greater share of the revenue generated at the French Open.

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Players arrived for media duties but would only answer questions for 15 minutes at Roland Garros, a number that is believed to represent the 15 per cent share of the tournament's overall revenue, which players believe they are paid. It is a seven per cent decrease in the allocations on the ATP and WTA tours.

A spokesperson for the All England Club said: "We are surprised and disappointed by this action.

"Wimbledon puts the players at the heart of all our decisions, and we invest significantly in them every year.

"This is alongside investing hundreds of millions of pounds in upgrades to our player facilities as part of a three-year transformation to create a world-class player performance environment."

On Wednesday, Sky Sports received a statement from the leading tennis players confirming their intentions to continue the protest.

The representatives add they have consulted players from both the ATP and WTA tours about the matter and have written to Wimbledon's leadership to notify them of the planned action.

They argue the current prize money represents 14.4 per cent of projected revenues for the Championships, which is still below the 14.9 per cent figure allocated in 2015.

The players had proposed the amount be raised to 16 per cent (£71.2m) as "a meaningful interim step" towards their calls for it to be lifted to 22 per cent - in line with leading tour events - by 2030.

Wimbledon organisers have branded that percentage unrealistic because of the greater responsibility they bear to invest in facilities and the wider game, unlike other tour events.

It is understood that the All England Club had agreed to talk to the players' representative after this year's tournament to address all their concerns.

Earlier in June, All England Club chair Debbie Jevans addressed the matter of prize money publicly and explained that using revenue in proportion to establish how much prize money players should be paid didn't make sense.

"We have always been clear that we're on the side of the players," Jevans said.

"Certainly, we want to have a fantastic Wimbledon for them, but using revenue to determine prize money just makes no sense. We have said that to (players' representative) Larry Scott.

"Revenue does not take into account the investment we have made. We are a non-profit, we are very different to a Masters 1000 event, and everything goes back into the sport.

"I am frustrated that the message has not got across."

Sabalenka was one of multiple stars who have been outspoken on the issue of prize money at the Grand Slams, with the Belarusian receiving praise from Novak Djokovic for taking a stance on the matter.

"It's not about me. It's about the players who are lower in the ranking, who are suffering," Sabalenka said at the French Open before walking out of a press conference.

Sabalenka added: "I stand with my words.

"We wanted to do it in a respectful way at the beginning, and you guys know how much we respect you and we appreciate you. It's not about you. It's just we are trying to fight for a fair percentage."

"We just wanted to make our point, and we are united - 15 minutes is better than zero.

"As I said a thousand times today, I have huge respect, but we know what's happening here, so thank you so much."

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