Concerned Wimbledon bosses may have been hoping to shake off any player dis-satisfaction as they raised prize money for the Championships for champions by a healthy 20 per cent, trumpeted in a Thursday media conference..

The total prize purse for the grass-court major starting on June 29 will hit a record GBP 64.2 million (USD 85.8 million) with the men’s and women’s winner pocketing – before the crushing UK tax load – GBP 3.6 million (USD 4.8 million).

Club officials will have taken serious note of player complaints about the percentage of Grand Slam winnings payout which come to less than 20 percent of the overall take for majors which are now stretching into three-week marathons.

Talk of a player strike at Roland Garros never seriously materialised – but the sentiments are still running hot among players who feel they are being overlooked by events which have become lucrative cash cows for executives and the overall bottom line.

“I would hope the players would welcome it. It’s a significant amount of money,” All England Club chair Deborah Jevans said on Thursday, surely hoping to stage off any player industrial action – not unknown in Britain.

“We’ve demonstrated that we’ve looked at every round, including qualifying. My hope is that the players do recognize what a significant increase that this is.”

By way of mild protest, some leading players limited their time at pre-event media conferences to 15 minutes; the player discontent includes endorsements from the world no. 1s Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner.

Up to 20 leading players have been waiting for more than a year for a serious response to a protest letter written to tennis suits lamenting what they consider an unfair prize money split based upon massive tournament revenues.

Some emergency meetings were reportedly held in Paris, with only the Australian Open said to be siding with the players on the payout issue.

Wimbledon first round losers will win GBP 80,000 (USD 107,000), up more than a fifth from 2025; qualifiers will earn 25 per cent more than a year ago.

WImbledon may have a stronger legal argument – if it comes to that – as they donate 90 per cent of surplus monies from their event to the LTA national federation.

Main photo:- The Championships Wimbledon Jannik Sinner wins Men’s Singles Final beating Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) Roger Parker/ISF Ltd

Jack Draper dropped another injury bomb on Tuesday, with the former British No. 1 pulling out of the upcoming grass-court start at Queen’s club, London and leaving himself in serious doubt of fronting up for Wimbledon in three weeks.

After hiring British tennis icon Andy Murray as coach last month, the 24-year-old had been hoping for the best after last playing a Tour match in April.

But continuing bone bruising on his left hitting arm had the last word, with the ATP No. 112 pulling the plug on what could easily become a lost grass court season.

“Recovery going in the right direction, but I’m going to give myself one more week and aim to return at Eastbourne (a week before Wimbledon’s June 29 start),” Draper said. 

“Very hard to miss one of my favourite events of the year.”

The one-time No. 4 player came after he split with former Murray coach Jamie Delgado after a so-so six-month run marred by more injury dramas.

Murray is serving as a team advisor to Draper, with hopes that his protege can actually make it back on court during the best-loved period for British players.

Main photo:- Jack Draper celebrating at Queens in 2024 – by Mark Greenwood/ISF Ltd

Roger Federer is planning a busy summer in North America, with the Swiss tennis icon getting inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame and lined up for an exhibition at the US Open.

The 44.year-old who retired in 2022 with 20 Grand Slam titles, has agreed to join an exhibition at the Open, a Grand Slam he won on five consecutive occasions from  2004 through 2008, playing some finals after days of rain before roofs were installed on showcourts.

Joining Federer on court at Flushing Meadows will be American Grand Slam champions Andy Roddick, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi on Tuesday, August 25, four days before his HOF induction in nearby Rhode Island.. 

Roddick was the last American to win a major, collecting the New York trophy in 2003, edition before Federer exploded into a decade of untouchable form. He last competed at the American event in 2019.

“So many unforgettable moments of my career happened in New York, and Arthur Ashe Stadium is a place that means a great deal to me,” the Swiss said in a statement. 

“I’ve missed being part of that atmosphere and feeling the incredible energy that the fans bring every year.”

The exhibition will be staged during the week of qualifying, which the USTA has turned into a paying event for fans in a move to cash in on tennis appeal in the area.

Main photo:- Shanghai ATP Tennis Masters 19/11/2006 Roger Federer (SUI) with winners trophy after victory 6-0 6-3 6-4 Roger Parker Fotosports International