Stan Wawrinka accuses Grand Slams of ‘ridiculous’ treatment of players
Stan Wawrinka has accused Grand Slam tournaments of hoarding money from tennis and not “redistributing” it to players.
Wawrinka has won three major tournaments in his career, with Wimbledon the only one missing from his collection.
However, he believes that Grand Slam tournaments are too selfish and prize money has not increased in proportion to the increase in revenue.
“Compared to the revenue they generate, they don’t give enough to tennis,” Wawrinka told L’Equipe. “And because they make [so much] money, they have so much power.
“(Slam tournaments) are where tennis history is written.” These are the wealthiest federations that do less redistribution.
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“There’s not even any communication between them. The revenue from Grand Slams today is very high and the percentage that goes back to the players is tremendous. It’s barely increasing.
“Grand Slam tournaments only have the interests of their countries and associations in mind.” Today we are stuck until the players say “stop.”
“The problem with tennis is that there are too many governments and various organizations that only pursue their own interests. The real problem with tennis today is the Grand Slam.”
Stanislas Wawrinka milite pour que les tournois majeurs redistribuent plus d’argent au monde du tennis tout en souhaitant que les joueurs soient plus intégrés dans les processus de décisions. Avant d’en arriver à une situation de blocage > https://t.co/6byTbi18br pic.twitter.com/4ziqrfNDyn
– L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) 21. 2023 年 11 月
What was prize money for Grand Slams in 2023?
Grand Slam events are the cornerstone of the tennis season and are arguably the biggest wins for players.
| Total 2023 Prize Money | Change from 2022 | |
| Australian Open | £43,300,000 | +3.38% |
| French Open | £43,060,000 | +13.76% |
| Wimbledon | £44,700,000 | +10.78% |
| US Open | £51,000,000 | +8.15% |
At first glance, the prize pot is certainly eye-catching, and it is clear that none of the players participating are doing this for the slightest purpose.
In fact, at this year’s Wimbledon, a singles player who made it to the third qualifying round but didn’t make it to the main tournament won £36,000. He was worth £12,750 for being eliminated in the first qualifying round. On the other hand, even a modicum of success by the third round could net you a return of £131,000.
However, Wawrinka has made reasonable statements about his income. Indeed, it rises much faster than the prize money.
For example, Championship revenue increased from £292m to £346.6m between 2019 and 2022. This is an increase of approximately 55 million yen. However, during this time his prize pot has only increased by £6.7 million.
It is important to note here that neither we nor Stan Wawrinka have conducted a comprehensive financial review. I don’t know how costs increased or what other challenges the tournament posed.
However, Wawrinka is certainly correct that Grand Slam revenues are increasing much faster than prize money payments.
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