American pair aim volley at slams over prize money row

The top-ranked American men's tennis players, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, have joined Jannik Sinner in calling for more prize money from the four grand slam tournaments and criticising the lack of progress in discussions on player welfare.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Leading players from the men's and women's top 10 sent proposals to the grand slams in August, outlining a series of reforms following meetings at Roland Garros and Wimbledon over the summer. The players did not receive a response, and a request for further meetings at the US Open was refused, with the matter of an ongoing legal case, filed separately by the Professional Tennis Players Association, cited as why talks could not be held.

The players are demanding a greater share of the revenues generated by the four grand slam tournaments at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, arguing that the ratio of between 13 and 15 per cent is too low and should be closer to the 22 per cent received at events on the ATP and WTA Tour with equal prize money, such as Indian Wells and the Italian Open. Players are also asking the grand slams to start contributing to a player welfare fund, supporting pensions, healthcare and maternity leave, and for more consultation with tournaments around matters such as scheduling.

The proposals were initially raised in a first letter in March and Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff were among the players to meet with the grand slams at Roland Garros. However, the delay in talks since August has led to players voicing their frustration in public. Sinner told The Guardian on Tuesday that the lack of response from the grand slams was “disappointing”, with men's No 4 Fritz and No 6 Shelton outlining to the Independent their support for the proposals and the “united” front the players have now turned to. More top stars are expected to speak out before the end of the season.