Elena Rybakina signals support for Grand Slam boycott
The red clay of Rome is soft this week, the air heavy with the scent of pine and the looming threat of rain. But inside the press room at the Foro Italico, the atmosphere is considerably more electric.
Elena Rybakina, typically the calmest woman in any room, has just signaled a quiet but seismic shift in the power dynamics of professional tennis.
When Aryna Sabalenka recently suggested that players might eventually boycott a Grand Slam over revenue distribution, many expected the soft-spoken Rybakina to steer clear of the controversy.
Instead, the World No. 2 delivered a measured, yet firm message. If the locker room moves, she moves with them.
“Well, it’s a tough question because we had so many things in the past where players could come together and boycott, but it never happened,” Rybakina noted, acknowledging the historical lack of unity that has often hampered player negotiations.
However, she was quick to add where she stands if that tide finally turns: “I honestly don’t know. If the majority say we are boycotting, we are not playing, then of course I’m up for it. It’s not an issue.”
For a player who often prefers to let her booming serve and clinical groundstrokes do the talking, these words carry significant weight. It’s more than just about the money for Rybakina. It’s about a collective voice that she feels has been missing from the sport’s highest levels for too long.
The timing of this stance is no coincidence. As the 2026 season reaches its clay-court crescendo, a group of approximately 20 top stars, including Sabalenka and men’s World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, have openly criticized the prize money structure at Roland Garros.
While the tournament recently announced a record-breaking €61.7 million purse, players argue that the “underlying figures” tell a more sobering story — one where the players’ share of the tournament’s total revenue is actually shrinking.
Rybakina, however, brought an often-ignored nuance to the table: the grueling reality of the tax trap.
“I feel like the improvement we need to have, it’s not only on the Grand Slams and it’s not only about raising the prize money,” Rybakina explained. “A lot of people are not aware that there is taxes which are big. You even make more prize money, but you giving it all to the taxes. It’s a different topic.”
It is a rare glimpse into the logistical nightmare of the nomadic pro. For a player like Rybakina, who competes across dozens of jurisdictions annually, the headline-grabbing checks are often slashed by half before they ever reach a bank account.
It’s a point that highlights the disconnect between the public perception of tennis wealth and the actual bottom line for those performing the “entertainment” Sabalenka alluded to.
Despite her willingness to stand with her peers, Rybakina remains an outsider to the political machinery of the sport. When asked if she had been actively involved in the recent discussions regarding prize money or player representation, her answer was characteristically blunt.
“No, I’m not participating,” she admitted. “No one came to me to talk about it, not from the WTA, not from the players council, not other players. It’s not on my mind at all.”
Therein lies the paradox of the modern player. While Rybakina is ready to sacrifice a shot at a Grand Slam title for the greater good of the tour, she isn’t seeking out the boardroom battles. She is a soldier, not a general. But as any general knows, you cannot win a war without your most powerful soldiers.
As the rain clouds gathered over the Pietrangeli court outside, Rybakina’s focus briefly shifted back to the immediate task at hand. Adjusting to the “heavy” balls and the physical toll of her recent allergies. But the echoes of her “I’m up for it” stayed in the room.
