Rafael Nadal breaks ranks with Novak Djokovic in tennis' biggest off-court row

Rafael Nadal has risked drawing criticism from several of tennis's biggest stars after rejecting calls for players to receive a larger share of Grand Slam revenues, adding his voice to the sport's ongoing prize money debate.

The issue has dominated discussion at Grand Slam events throughout the year, with players staging protests at Wimbledon last week to highlight their demands.

The dispute between the world's leading players and the four Grand Slam tournaments has been ongoing since March 2025. Players are seeking a greater share of tournament revenues, increased contributions to welfare funds, and the establishment of a Grand Slam player committee.

Currently, ATP and WTA Tour events distribute around 22% of tournament revenue as prize money, compared with Wimbledon's 14.4%.

Amid mounting pressure, the All England Club announced a record 20% increase in prize money for this year's Championships. The total prize fund rose to £64.2 million but still fell short of the £71 million players had requested, which would have represented 16% of tournament revenue.

The debate is not new. A year ago, Novak Djokovic argued there was still "room for improvement" when it came to prize money at the Grand Slams. The Serbian stressed that his comments were not about increasing earnings for the game's biggest stars, but about supporting lower-ranked players who rely almost entirely on prize money to sustain their careers.

"I see that in the past, when I talked about this topic, people like to say, 'Well, look at him, wanting more money for himself.' It's not about that," Djokovic said in August 2025. "I'm just talking about overall. Not many tennis players live out of this sport globally. That's not something that I see has been talked about enough."

Djokovic also argued that prize money had failed to keep pace with inflation. Nadal, however, dismissed that reasoning.

"If you see how much the players were getting 15 years ago and the amount of prize money that they are getting today, you see that the average increase is way over the average of any job in this world," Nadal said during an interview with CNBC Meets.

"I don't think players should share the tournaments' revenues. I think players should come to an agreement with the Grand Slams. Say, 'I want my prize money to increase by 5%, 10%, 15% or 3% each year.'

"Find a deal like that and stick with it. The Grand Slams commit to increasing prize money by an agreed percentage each year.

"That's fair for the players and fair for the tournaments. Sign the deal for 10 years so we have 10 years of calm."

Wimbledon prize money 2026

The disagreement has divided opinion across the sport. Critics argue that elite players are already among the highest-paid athletes in the world, while supporters believe they deserve a greater share of the revenue they generate for the tournaments.

Wimbledon continues to offer equal prize money in the men's and women's singles events, with this year's champions each receiving £3.6 million.

Players who lose in the first qualifying round earn £20,000, while reaching the main draw guarantees a minimum payout of £80,000.

Prize money is considerably lower in the doubles events. The men's and women's doubles champions receive £760,000 per pair, with first-round participants earning £18,000. In the mixed doubles, the winning team collects £148,000, while first-round entrants receive £5,200.

Despite this year's increase, Wimbledon's total prize fund remains the second largest among the four Grand Slams, behind only the US Open.

Wimbledon singles prize money by round

• Champion — £3,600,000
• Runner-up — £1,800,000
• Semi-finalist — £900,000
• Quarter-finalist — £480,000
• Fourth round — £300,000
• Third round — £185,000
• Second round — £126,000
• First round — £80,000
• Qualifying (third round) — £50,000
• Qualifying (second round) — £32,000
• Qualifying (first round) — £20,000