USO prize money bonanza eases player boycott threat

The lure of USD 5.5 million to the 2026 US Open champions seems to have eased any talk of payer boycott threats – for now.

The payout for the last Grand Slam  of the season starting on Sunday will set records as New York organisers throw money at the problem of dissatisfied players.

With an overcrowded calendar in crisis and never-ending injury runs among competitors, the lure of a total of USD 108 million in payouts has taken some of the string out of grievances,

WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka  seemed to at least temporarily placated after supporting the possibilities of player strike action to make a longstanding point.

“We’re super happy to see the good feedback and that we’re finally getting to the point where we wanted to be at the very beginning,” she said.

“Hopefully we’re not gonna boycott media or the tournament or anything in the future, and we’re all gonna be happy, and that’s all we wanted from the very beginning.”