Jannik Sinner would not take part in any future Grand Slam boycott due to the stakes involved in his career, according to Patrick Mouratoglou, amid an ongoing dispute over prize money distribution.
With the French Open set to begin, the build-up to the season’s second Grand Slam has been, somewhat, overshadowed by tensions over player compensation.
During the Italian Open, several top players reiterated that they would be willing to boycott future Grand Slams if prize money does not increase significantly.
The argument centres on the belief that, given record revenues from broadcasting rights, sponsorship, ticket sales and merchandise, player prize money should rise proportionally.
Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are among those who have voiced concerns, although not all have committed to the idea of skipping events.
Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune and Simona Halep, believes world No 1 Sinner would ultimately avoid any boycott scenario due to his title ambitions.
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“I don’t believe in the boycott this year, it’s still very new for the top players to get together and put pressure on an event or a governing body,” Mouratoglou said in an Instagram video.
“You have PTPA on the side, which is the association of the players. Then you have this new group that puts together most of the top ones, and this one has clearly more power because if they decide we’re not going to play Roland Garros, then Roland Garros will have to take decisions.
“But it’s new. For some players to play Roland Garros this particular year can be the most important goal of their whole season.
“For someone like Sinner, there is so much on the line for him. He’s not going to screw everything up to get a bit more prize money. It would not make sense for him.
“The only way to have the power is to be all on the same line with the same aligned interest, which I don’t feel is the case.
“So I don’t think they’re going to boycott or even threaten to boycott Roland Garros this year.”
Despite Mouratoglou’s view that Sinner would be unlikely to support a boycott, the Italian recently said he understands why players are raising the issue.
“Of course, we are talking about money, but the most important thing is respect, and we just don’t feel it,” the world No 1 said earlier in May.
“I think we players are also a bit disappointed with the outcome from Roland Garros, for example. So let’s see what’s coming.
“I think in the next couple of weeks we’ll also know the prize money we’re going to have at Wimbledon, and we truly hope it’s going to be better – and then, of course, the US Open.
“So I do understand players talking about a boycott, because somewhere we also need to start, and it has been going on for a very long time now. Then we’ll see what happens in the future.”
Despite no official boycott at Roland Garros, players including Sinner, Zverev, Swiatek and Sabalenka have agreed to limit their daily media obligations to 15 minutes.
The tournament has increased its total prize pool by 9.53% compared to last season, below the US Open’s 20% rise and the Australian Open’s 16% increase.
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