Novak Djokovic Won't Participate In French Open Boycott

Some of the top players in men's and women's tennis are expected to boycott the media at this year's French Open. With the tournament set to begin Sunday, the legendary Novak Djokovic offered his stance on this matter.

Charlie Eccleshare and Ava Wallace of The Athletic reported earlier this week that Jannik Sinner and others agreed to media-related protests at Roland Garros. As part of their agreement, they'll leave their pre-tournament news conferences earlier than expected. This boycott is due to players' frustration over the revenue split with Grand Slam tournaments. As of now, they're expected to receive 14.9% of the French Open's revenue.

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, supports his peers' mission. However, he's not protesting the media at this time.

"I was not part of the process, plan or decision making. So I'm not part of that at all and I can't comment on that," Djokovic told reporters. "What can I can keep doing is advocating for players, like I always did. Not only the top players. The lower ranked as well."

Tennis fans praised Djokovic's leadership skills after seeing these remarks.

"Seeing Novak stand up for the lower-ranked players and the whole tour," one fan commented. "That's real leadership."

"The entire situation is tennis players like doper Sinner wanting more prize money, Djokovic is the only to have mentioned lower players," a second fan said.

"That is why I love Djokovic," another fan wrote. "Always thinking about the lower ranked players."

Aryna Sabalenka takes a stand.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka cut her news conference short on Friday as part of this protest.

"I stand with my words. We just wanted to do it in a respectful way at the beginning," Sabalenka said. "You guys know how much we respect you and appreciate you. It's not your decision and it's not about you. Just, we're trying to fight for fair percentage."

Sabalenka has been the leading voice behind this potential boycott, receiving support from Coco Gauff and others on the WTA Tour.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 7:00 PM.