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By Megan Armstrong
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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened her 2026 Wimbledon campaign with a ho-hum, straight-set win over Teodora Kostovic on Monday, but she and her fellow tennis stars secured a bigger win earlier Monday.
Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek headlined a group of players who limited their media appearances to 15 minutes over the weekend as an act of protest over Grand Slam prize money, including at Wimbledon. The players are fighting for a greater revenue share as well as welfare benefits, per BBC Sport.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the players "decided to end their protest" following "constructive meetings" with Wimbledon organizers.
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Prior to that announcement, Sabalenka was asked about the protest during Sunday's press conference, specifically about Wimbledon's raising prize money by 20% earlier this month.
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"It's a great start that they increased the prize money," Sabalenka said. "It's an amazing start, but if you look over the last ten years, if you compare the prize money to 2016, it's kind of like the same. But it's a great start, and I really hope that we can finally get to the table and really get it done, come to conclusions that everyone is going to be happy with, and hopefully, we'll never have to do it again."
Sabalenka also clarified, "Listen, we do it for the tour. We don't do it for ourselves. We do it for the rest of the players who are really suffering to even hire a coach. You know, it's not an easy life for players who are lower in the ranking. So, we do it for them."
BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko relayed a statement that was issued on behalf of the players once an agreement was reached to end their protest, as excerpted below:
"This decision is based on Wimbledon's commitment to return with specific proposals addressing all three points of the players' submission," said the statement, and noted, "The underlying matters remain unresolved and players will carefully evaluate the proposals once received.
"Players will also be providing Wimbledon with further information they have requested in connection with those proposals during the course of the tournament. Constructive dialogue with Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams will continue."
On court, Sabalenka is seeking her first Grand Slam singles title of the year — and the first Wimbledon title of her career. The four-time Grand Slam champion previously won the 2023 Australian Open, 2024 Australian Open, 2024 US Open, and 2025 US Open. Sabalenka will next face American McCartney Kessler on Wednesday, July 1.
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