A sports finance expert says Wimbledon figureheads would be “silly” to completely ignore pleas for extra prize money at this year’s Championship.

After it emerged that ATP and WTA stars would get under 15% of the French Open’s tournament revenue, women’s world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka led calls for players to boycott Grand Slams.

A player-led initiative called Project Red Eye is hopeful that the four majors can bring their revenue share in line with the 22% the ATP and WTA Tours provide at their 1000 Masters events.

While it is thought that a Grand Slam boycott is unlikely, particularly as there will be a lengthy list of players ready to step in and replace them, some progress may yet be made.

That is according to sports finance expert, Professor Rob Wilson, who believes that the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will be keeping a watchful eye on this evolving situation.

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Wimbledon is set to announce its prize money for the 2026 championships in the coming weeks. And while reaching that 22% figure may be a long shot, Professor Wilson thinks there could be a slight uptick in pay at SW19.

He exclusively told Tennis365, “Wimbledon has generated a highly successful product, and they’ve done that through a very discerning management strategy. Whether you look at the way they invested in the retractable roof, the way they’ve looked at developing the footprint of the ground, they’ve been very careful and deliberate in the steps they’ve taken.

“So I wouldn’t say they’re not going to listen to the noise, that would be silly. They’ll have their ear to the ground, they’ll see what’s going on. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if we see a slight uplift in the prize funds.

“Whether it goes up to 22% I think is probably a little bit ambitious, but I certainly think there would be a more than tokenistic improvement in terms of offering to the players, as much as anything to keep them quiet for next year and the year after and the year after.”

Wilson has urged the game’s top stars to put on a united front in their quest for more prize money. However, the fact that Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek have not supported Grand Slam boycott calls is not a great sign.

Indeed, Novak Djokovic said he supported the players en masse but wouldn’t go as far as calling for a boycott, while  Carlos Alcaraz has previously been non-plussed about the topic.

Jannik Sinner did say that top stars need to be treated with more respect but as tennis players are independent contractors, don’t have a union, and live a largely individualistic life, it is not surprising there is division in their ranks.

Either way, all eyes will be on Wimbledon’s prize money announcement.

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