Wimbledon Officials Hold Positive Talks with Players' Representative on Prize Money Ahead of Thursday Announcement

Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton met players' representative Larry Scott in Paris on Monday to discuss prize money and the players' other demands. The meeting took place at Roland Garros during the French Open. A Wimbledon spokesperson said the discussions were positive.

"We were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with the players' representative at Roland Garros," the spokesperson said. "Our discussions about the arrangements for this year's Championships were positive. " Wimbledon prize money for this year's championships will be revealed at a news conference next Thursday.

5 million ($72m) in prize money, a seven per cent rise on 2024, but it only equated to less than 13% of revenue. To hit the 16% demanded by the players for this year, Wimbledon would need to up prize money to around £70m. 5% year on year, compared to a 20% rise at last year's US Open and 16% at the Australian Open in January.

The players believe the tournaments should move towards paying out 22% of revenue in prize money. The French Open pays out approximately 15% of revenue in prize money. Scott also had a meeting with US Open chiefs.

The French Open promised concrete proposals on the issues at hand within the next month. The group of players first sent a letter to all the slams last spring. The group includes world number ones Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner.

In Rome last month, Sabalenka raised the prospect of a boycott. Most of the world's top stars limited their pre-event media activities to 15 minutes each at the French Open. The players are understood to have been emboldened by the impact their protest had, potentially making action at Wimbledon more likely.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said they had been advised by lawyers not to engage with the players but had chosen to do so. "The most important [thing] is to have this partnership with the players," she said.

"In my opinion, because this communication is back for us, as far as we are concerned, I'm confident that things are going to move forward and that everyone will understand each other.

Scott was formerly chairman and chief executive of the WTA. Wimbledon organisers are hopeful the tournament will avoid the sort of player protests seen at the French Open two weeks ago.