Grand Slams Agree Player Advisory Council as US Open Prize Money Set to Top $100m

The four grand slam tournaments have agreed to establish a formal Player Advisory Council in a bid to settle an 18-month dispute with the world's leading players over prize money, according to The Guardian.

The deal could be confirmed on Wednesday as part of the USTA's announcement of this year's US Open prize money, with sources involved in the discussions expecting the tournament fund to top $100m (£74m) for the first time. The US Open begins on 30 August and has traditionally offered the highest prize money of the four majors — last year's total was $90m, with the singles winner collecting $5m and the runner-up $2.5m.

The council would give players a formal voice in how the slams operate, something they have not previously had. The ATP and WTA tours — the men's and women's professional circuits that run the bulk of the season — both already have player councils whose members are elected directly by players for fixed terms. A source involved in the negotiations told The Guardian it was vital for players to have a say in determining who represents them, how representatives are selected, and the extent of their involvement in the slams' decision-making.

The prize money row has been building for the better part of two years. Top players including men's world No 1 Jannik Sinner and women's world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka have demanded a greater share of tournament revenues as part of a wider overhaul of the sport's finances. The players want the slams to match the ATP and WTA tours by allocating 22% of revenues to prize money. The slams currently sit at roughly 15%. At Wimbledon this year, the £64.2m prize fund amounted to about 14.4% of the total money made at the championships.

Tensions have spilled into public view more than once. In May, the world's top 10 male and female players withdrew from some contracted media activity at the French Open — a coordinated protest in which Sabalenka was chosen as a symbolic figure representing the 15% revenue share. A wider media boycott planned for Wimbledon was called off after last-minute negotiations.

The threat of another boycott at Flushing Meadows remains on the table if players are unhappy with the US Open's prize money announcement. Separately, a number of players had threatened to boycott the US Open's mixed doubles event, which is part of a USTA push to grow revenues by extending the tournament into a three-week spectacle.

The mixed doubles draw, announced on Tuesday, delivered its own storylines. Sinner was not among the entrants — he had entered the event last year alongside Katerina Siniakova but withdrew due to illness picked up at the Cincinnati Open. Sabalenka, meanwhile, will partner Novak Djokovic in a star-studded pairing that pairs the women's world No 1 with the 24-time major champion.

The USTA is now under the leadership of Craig Tiley, the former Tennis Australia chief executive, whose appointment adds a fresh dimension to the negotiations. Tiley knows the grand slam business from the inside — and he knows player tensions too, having navigated his own share of controversies at the Australian Open.

For fans, the stakes are straightforward. A sport that spent the summer watching its biggest names protest rather than promote could be heading towards a truce. If the council takes shape and the US Open breaks the $100m barrier, the players get more money and a seat at the table. If not, the boycott talk resumes.

The US Open starts in 11 days. The maths, for once, might be the easy part.