Imagine a French Open without the best players in the world taking part. Far-fetched? Yes. But a boycott was very much on the cards, with frustrations over prize money reaching a boiling point. Losing someone like World No. 1 Jannik Sinner because of that issue would have been a nightmare for the organizers. Thankfully for them, Patrick Mouratoglou says they can breathe easy… for now.

Sinner will not be pulling the trigger, Serena Williams‘ former coach feels. Nor will anyone of his stature.

“I don’t believe in the boycott this year,” said Mouratoglou on his Instagram. “It’s still very new for the top players to get together and put pressure on an event or a governing body.”

Sinner comes into the 2026 French Open as one of the absolute favorites to win the whole tournament. It is also the only Grand Slam title he has yet to win, having reached the final last year before losing to Carlos Alcaraz, who will miss this year’s event because of a wrist injury. Mouratoglou thinks that there’s too much at stake for Sinner to join this boycott right now.

“For someone like Sinner, there is so much on the line for him. He’s not going to screw everything up to get a bit more prize money. It would not make sense for him,” he said.

The problem, Mouratoglou feels, is not that a boycott wouldn’t work. It’s that making it work would require an unreal level of unity among all the players. For many of them, it’s not as simple as deciding to sit out a major tournament like this.

“You have PTPA on the side, which is the association of the players. Then you have this new group that puts together most of the top ones, and this one has clearly more power because if they decide we’re not going to play Roland Garros, then Roland Garros will have to take decisions,” he said.

“But it’s new. For some players, to play Roland Garros this particular year can be the most important goal of their whole season.”

Top players have admitted to being unhappy with how much they get paid. Grand Slams like the French Open have been accused of disproportionately distributing prize money despite generating huge revenues. At the same time, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic, has continued pushing for greater player representation, while also becoming increasingly vocal about shaping tennis’ future.

Players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev have also reduced their media time as a form of protest.

On Friday, Sabalenka, who gave journalists just 15 minutes at Roland Garros, said, “We just wanted to make our point, and we are united, and 15 minutes is better than zero, and I’m here to talk to you because I have my respect for you guys.

That’s it. And now it’s time for national language, and thank you so much for being here for asking questions. As I said a thousand times today, I have huge respect, but we know what’s happening here, so thank you so much,” the Belarusian added.

Not everyone supports the French Open protest

One of Mouratoglou’s biggest concerns with the boycott was getting players together on the same page. And there’s already a recognizable face in the Tour who’s shut the whole idea of a media protest down.

Anastasia Potapova, ranked 38 in the world, was asked if she was a supporter of this movement during a press conference in Rolland Garros.

“I think for me it’s a little bit of nonsense, so I’m not really into this. So here I am, and talking to you as much as I want. As much as you want as well,” the Russian-Austrian replied. She made it clear that she’s not sticking to the 15-minute protest.

Potapova isn’t a fan of the fact that star players are showcasing their problems with prize money by refusing to talk to the media. This comes despite the likes of Sabalenka, Gauff, and Swiatake insisting that their anger wasn’t directed at them.

“Media guys have nothing to do with our prize money. You don’t pay us, right? So, how can we boycott somebody who is also getting paid from the same tournament?” Potapova added.

She certainly won’t be the most popular figure on the circuit because of her stance. The majority of tennis players are collectively pushing for a better share of the revenue. Sinner, Zverev, Sabalenka, Swiatek, and several others have reportedly signed a letter asking Grand Slam executives to allow players to receive a 22% share of tournament revenue by 2030.

If those in charge do not come up with a response in time, the feared boycott that has been circulating in the rumor mill may actually come into effect. Potapova not joining a group of legends in this fight would not really save face for the Grand Slams either.

For now, however, the stars continue to play, albeit begrudgingly.

Sinner’s first-round match takes place on Tuesday against Frenchman Clement Tabur.