Jack Draper’s family have been taken aback by the prize money he has received in recent years, but the Brit is still calling for major changes at Grand Slams, including an increased share of the revenue. The 22-year-old banked £2.6million in 2025 before shutting down his season after the US Open.
He is set to make a return at UTS London Grand Final next month in an encouraging return from injuries that have plagued the second half of his season. His time off the court has allowed him to spend more time at home, with his family, and especially his grandfather who had plenty to say about the money Draper is earning.
“We do earn a lot of money, I completely understand that,” Draper told The Independent. “My granddad, he worked in a supermarket for 50 years, and sometimes he looks at my prize money and he says, ‘Oh my God, what is this?’.
“So I completely understand that side of things. There’s not been great transparency between the events and the players, and although there is a lot of money going to the players, I think it’s people outside the sport having an open mind that it’s not necessarily always the players complaining about wanting more money. Players are just advocating for positive changes because things aren’t good enough.”
In August, Draper co-signed a letter to the Majors alongside other leading ATP and WTA stars, outlining a series of proposed reforms.
Players called for prize money at slams to increase to 22 per cent of the tournament’s revenues over the next five years, as well as the tournaments making contributions towards a player fund, supporting pensions, healthcare and maternity pay.
A lack of response by stakeholders involved has left Draper, along with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, frustrated at the current state of tennis.
“Tennis is a sport where the players are the prize asset and there’s nowhere near good enough communication between the grand slams, the ATP, the WTA, the ITF,” Draper added “Everyone works separately to each other and that’s why I believe the sport is not the best sport it could be.”
Sabalenka and Swiatek echoed Draper’s sentiments this week at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
“I think it’s the time right now to sit at a table and come to a conclusion that everyone will be happy with,” Sabalenka told AFP.
Swiatek added: “For sure it would be great if the Grand Slams wanted to talk to us, because that’s how it’s supposed to be and I don’t really get why there’s no more open conversation.
“It’s not only about prize money, but also about the pension, the health plan and just having more smooth cooperation and communication in the future. So I think for sure it’s a setback and for sure the players are not happy with it.”