Wimbledon were far from happy with tennis’ top players plans to boycott the media at the Grand Slam, despite being offered a 20% increase in prize money.
The top players went 22% of the revenue from Grand Slams and they have consistently said they are prepared to boycott the major events in tennis.
The likes of Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka have been at the forefront of the movement and they even conducted a media boycott at Roland Garros.
The top players on the ATP and WTA Tours cut short their media obligations at the Paris Grand Slam and they planned to do so again at Wimbledon.
But, then, just a day before the Grand Slam was set to begin, they announced a U-turn on their plans.
Now, we might now the reason as to why.
According to Jon Wertheim, of The Tennis Channel, Wimbledon responded to the potential boycott by fighting fire with fire.
More tennis news
Andy Roddick tells hilarious story about a ‘psychotic’ former Grand Slam finalist
“Two sources told me that the All England Club was not happy by this protest,” said Wertheim. “Disappointed and surprised was their public remark. It was considerably more intense behind closed doors.
“What did they do? They cut off millions of dollars in comp tickets that the players traditionally received. I heard stories of players parents going to pick up tickets and saying: ‘Sorry, the tickets aren’t available.’ That got players attention. They went to the leaders of this protest.
“The protest members essentially called off the boycott on the eve of the tournament. There are further talks scheduled both with Wimbledon and with the US Open here on site, but no tickets to players. That proved to be a pain point.”
It is currently unclear whether there will continue to be plans for boycott at the US Open, which is the next Grand Slam on the tennis calendar.
However, the top players on the Tour have subsequently played ball for the entirety of Wimbledon so far. The players have all conducted their media responsibilities as requested, except for one high-profile star.
Serena Williams opted not to talk to the press following her first round defeat to Maya Joint at Wimbledon.
That is technically against the rules, but the 23-time Grand Slam champion cited a knee injury as the reason she did not turn up to her post-match press conference.
As a result, Williams was not fined by the All England Club. She is expected to return to play doubles alongside her sister Venus Williams on Saturday’s order of play.
The post Wimbledon offered strong response to Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka’s boycott plans appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply