{"id":884195,"date":"2026-01-11T07:19:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/11\/andy-roddick-weighs-in-as-taylor-fritz-ben-shelton-and-aryna-sabalenka-push-for-bigger-grand-slam-pay\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T07:19:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:19:06","slug":"andy-roddick-weighs-in-as-taylor-fritz-ben-shelton-and-aryna-sabalenka-push-for-bigger-grand-slam-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/11\/andy-roddick-weighs-in-as-taylor-fritz-ben-shelton-and-aryna-sabalenka-push-for-bigger-grand-slam-pay\/","title":{"rendered":"Andy Roddick Weighs In As Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Aryna Sabalenka Push for Bigger Grand Slam Pay"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This season saw grit, passion, and a flood of prize money on tennis courts worldwide. But beneath the shine, questions have come to the forefront. Top players like Jannik Sinner<\/a>, Aryna Sabalenka, and Taylor Fritz have called out major tournaments for ignoring long-standing demands on fair prize money and better welfare for lower-ranked players. Now, 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick<\/strong> is adding his two cents to the debate.<\/p>\n

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In a chat with reporter Jon Wertheim on the Served<\/em> podcast, Roddick questioned what \u201cleverage\u201d players really have without big statements like boycotts.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one\u2019s saying that tennis players are underpaid compared to anyone else,\u201d the retired pro said. \u201cThe percentage of prize money and revenue that they get from the biggest entities compared to other sports, and what they get from the biggest entities, is crazily skewed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Wertheim agreed, arguing that tennis does little to empower players. With short careers, no union, and stalled \u201cgood faith\u201d talks, progress remains slow.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were going to devise a sport that is sort of least favorable to player empowerment, it would look a lot like tennis,\u201d the reporter said. \u201cMembers of the top 10 were in the room, and everything\u2019s going great. But nothing has been done. I think where this stands right now, basically this group of players needs to figure out: What is their leverage? What is their appetite to really fight this? These top players, they need to figure out do they want to take the gloves off.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Will we see players sitting out of Majors to leverage a prize money increase? Andy and @jon_wertheim<\/a> explain current structure, who\u2019s involved, and where the conversation stands heading into the New Year. Check out the full conversation on YouTube or wherever you listen to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/fcKdsXwQRr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Served with Andy Roddick (@Served_Podcast) December 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

For context, players have been saying Grand Slams distribute only 12-15% of their revenues as prize money. That\u2019s far less than the estimated 22% at ATP and WTA events like Indian Wells and Rome, where equal pay already exists. Take Wimbledon, for example. Last year, it offered $63.6 million from a $520 million pool, which equates to just 12.3%.<\/p>\n

Among those in the pay discussions is Italian No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner. The 2025 Australian Open and Wimbledon winner reportedly spoke with Grand Slam organizers, but as Wertheim points out, the discussions did not progress.<\/p>\n

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On October 28, Jannik Files shared a post on X quoting Sinner\u2019s remarks<\/a> from The Guardian.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had good conversations with the Grand Slams at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so it was disappointing when they said they cannot act on our proposals until other issues are resolved. Calendar and scheduling are important topics, but there is nothing stopping the Slams from addressing player welfare benefits like pensions and healthcare right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

American stars Taylor Fritz<\/a> and Ben Shelton have joined Sinner in calling for change.<\/p>\n

As Jamie Braidwood of The Independent<\/em> reported, they\u2019ve joined others in \u201ccalling for more prize money from the four Grand Slam tournaments and criticizing the lack of progress in discussions on player welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

The movement began with a letter in March and gained steam after meetings at Roland Garros, which included Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka<\/a>, and Coco Gauff. But since the talks stalled in August, player frustration has only grown louder. Players are also demanding a stronger voice in scheduling, rule changes, and expanded events, such as the new 15-day Australian Open, French Open, and US Open.<\/p>\n

In his conversation, Roddick believes there\u2019s one clear solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cParticipation is the answer,\u201d he said with promise.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not the first time he\u2019s spoken out on the topic of prize money.<\/p>\n

Andy Roddick clears common doubts about getting paid as a tennis player<\/h2>\n

Andy Roddick burst onto the scene as a teenage prodigy from Omaha, Nebraska, turning pro at 17 after ruling the juniors and winning the US Open junior title. He quickly rose to the top, hitting World No. 1 by November 2003. That same year, he captured his first and only Grand Slam at the US Open, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero and sealing his place as one of tennis\u2019s brightest young stars.<\/p>\n

With 32 tour titles, Roddick knows all about the highs, the lows, and the sweet memory of that prized paycheck. In October 2025, he revealed how players actually get paid.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou do not get a check every day,\u201d Roddick said in September. \u201cThat would be a nightmare for tournaments. You get paid at the end of the tournament\u2026 You used to be able to get a check. There was like an actual bank that probably doesn\u2019t work that way anymore.\u00a0I doubt that\u2019s still an option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tennis looks glamorous, but it burns through wallets fast. Travel, coaching, and hotels cost plenty. When asked about how quickly these payments were made, Roddick was honest:<\/p>\n

\u201cNext day, two days, whatever they\u2019re processing. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s different on a Saturday than it is on Monday. It\u2019s not like it\u2019s not like 30 days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roddick retired in 2012, but his presence hasn\u2019t faded. Now, through his podcast, he dives into the issues today\u2019s pros face, from prize money to the grind of tour life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Laine Schewe
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This season saw grit, passion, and a flood of prize money on tennis courts worldwide. But beneath the shine, questions have come to the forefront. Top players like Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Taylor Fritz have called out major tournaments for ignoring long-standing demands on fair prize money and better welfare for lower-ranked players. Now<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":884196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[141273,2952],"tags":[141272,6500],"class_list":{"0":"post-884195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-roddick","8":"category-weighs","9":"tag-roddick","10":"tag-weighs"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=884195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/884196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=884195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=884195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=884195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}