While many observers did not feel that the media protests by the top players at the French Open had any impact on the ongoing pay dispute, it seems that player pressure is doing its trick, with the Grand Slams poised for a momentous announcement. With the US Open a few days away, the Grand Slams have conceded to the players’ request to form an independent player council, a big win for the players in the ongoing dispute.

“The grand slams will collectively announce the formation of a new player council alongside confirmation of the US Open’s 2026 prize money. The council was one of the player group’s three key demands, but the money will ultimately determine if they protest again in NY,” reported The Times correspondent, Tom Kershaw, via X.

The Grand Slams have a separate board, which operates independently of the ATP and the WTA Tours. Agreeing to an independent player council would ensure that players have the opportunity to engage in an open dialogue with the Slams. This would lead players to drive decisions about revenue and prize money, as well as scheduling, which would help ensure player health and safety.

Even though getting paid in line with the ever-increasing revenue at the Grand Slams has been the main demand of the players in the ongoing protest, they have also called for the sport to be made more financially viable for lower-ranked players and have demanded pension funds and healthcare benefits.

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This formation of the player council is the second major concession made by the Grand Slams, after the French Open agreed to a revenue-sharing model for total tournament prize money. This came after the players were not satisfied with the flat increases in prize money at the French Open and Wimbledon, which did make for record-breaking prize pools but still accounted for about 15 percent of total revenue, rather than the players’ demand of 22 percent.

Given the circumstances, the US Open has yet to announce its prize pool, and even though the New York Slam has been the highest in terms of prize money, it remains to be seen if they will agree to the revenue-sharing idea, with players like Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka already keeping an eye on the announcement.

The US Open Has Yet to Disclose the Prize Money for This Year Amid Protest Threats

The US Open has yet to announce its total prize pool for this year, with top players like Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka keeping a keen eye on the announcement. The American stated that any decisions they take will depend upon the announcement, while also stating that the US Open has been open to having discussions with players.

The US Open had a total prize pool of $90 million in 2025, a 20 percent increase over the $75 million pool in 2024. Despite the massive jump in prize money, the players only got about 16 percent of the total revenue last year, which was close to $550 million. Should the US Open have a 20 percent increase this time as well, the total prize money for the 2026 season would stand at $108 million, which would still be short of the 22 percent of revenue standard demanded by the players.

The arrival of Craig Tiley at the USTA is another interesting aspect here, as the former Australian Open CEO has been vocal about not using a revenue-sharing model, with Grand Slam profits going into developing infrastructure and supporting player development at the country’s lower levels.

However, given the concessions made by the Grand Slams collectively and the French Open’s decision to adopt a revenue-sharing model, pressure is on Tiley and the US Open to meet player demands.