Gauff doubles down on the bet: "Tennis players must unionize in some way"

Carlos Navarro | 5 May 2026 | 20.00

Is a Tennis Union Feasible? Coco Gauff, in fact, Bets for More. Source: Getty

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The hornet's nest continues to stir in the world of tennis, with uncomfortable conversations and resulting ideas that could completely change the current tennis ecosystem as we know it. Discontent with the economic allocations that will be distributed at the upcoming Roland Garros 2026, deviating from the agreement between players and Slams to increase the percentage of money that players earn in relation to the total earnings of the major events, has led to a former world number one such as Aryna Sabalenka uttering the word 'boycott'... and other names, including Coco Gauff, express even stronger terms.

The American also didn't shy away from addressing the issue in the press conference before her debut at the WTA Roma 2026, echoing the words of many of her colleagues and stating that the money earned by the players is far from sufficient. The topic reached such a point that even Coco mentioned a very strong word: unions, a union of players to defend their interests, which could or could not be, perhaps, with the PTPA.

Gauff defends players' rights and calls for more action, with a possible tennis players' union

- Regarding Sabalenka's words, Roland Garros prize money, and the possibility of a future boycott

"Yes, in a way, I agree with what Aryna has said, especially if I take into account what the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) has achieved. They have a union, I think that helps a lot. I think, and not from my own experience, because I don't have that much life experience yet, but from what I've seen in other sports, usually to make significant progress and such, you need a union. Yes, we should unionize in some way. You can create pressure through the media, yes, but no matter how much we stand up, everyone will continue acting as usual. I agree with Aryna, and I believe that other tennis players also support it".

If we all agreed, yes, we could. I wouldn't want to be the only person doing it, even though people talk about it. I think, yes, imagine if I were now the only one not playing (smiles). That's where a real debate should happen. This is something we have to discuss, as players, talk among ourselves and decide, but we must move as a whole, as a group. Right now, we are doing well, I believe: the progress we have seen from last year to now, with the entire top-10 agreeing on something, it's the first time it has happened in our sport in a long time. There is progress, but we can do more, that's for sure".

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff redobla la apuesta: "Los tenistas debemos sindicalizarnos de alguna manera"