Defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner cut his media appearance to about 10 minutes and 30 seconds on Saturday as a prize-money protest by top players continued at the All England Club, according to the Associated Press.
The protest began at the French Open, where players argued their share of tournament revenue was too small. Players have complained that the total prize money at the French Open made up only 14.3% of the clay-court tournament's revenue. A statement by an advisory firm representing the players said their share of Wimbledon's projected revenue this year was 14.4%, which would be below the 14.9% share they received 10 years ago.
Wimbledon responded by hiking its total prize money by 20%. Singles champions will receive 3.6 million pounds, or $4.75 million, each. But players have continued the protest, limiting their media appearances to 15 minutes after each match during the tournament's first week.
Sinner, the world No. 1, acknowledged some movement in the talks. "It's getting better even though we are not (at) the point where we are 100% happy," the Italian said. "At the same time we are seeing improvement."
He said the dispute was about more than money. He cited the need for improvements in player welfare but declined to engage with a question about Wimbledon's offer to work on creating a player council. "I just think it's better if we don't discuss here, I don't like to talk about this at the moment," he said.
When asked whether players felt they were closer to a resolution or a boycott, the four-time Grand Slam champion kept his answer brief. "I think we talked enough about this at the moment. The Grand Slams know what we ask, and then (we'll) see how that goes," he said. "Again, I'm here now to talk about tennis."
The All England Club had previously said it was "surprised and disappointed by this action." On Wednesday, the advisory firm representing players confirmed the direct action protest would continue through the first week of the tournament.
