Are players already splitting over prize money protests?

Aryna Sabalenka is among the leading players protesting [Getty Images]Four-time major champion Aryna Sabalenka says she hopes the world's leading players will not have to "boycott" their Grand Slam media duties again after Wimbledon.

>Sabalenka is among the stars who have decided to limit media appearances to 15 minutes at the All England Club this week in protest over the prize money on offer at Grand Slam tournaments.

>A group of players, which also includes Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff, want the major tournaments to commit a greater share of their revenue to prize money, as well as an increased contribution to welfare benefits including pensions and maternity leave.

>Wimbledon has already increased its overall prize money by 20% this year - the largest annual increase in the event's history - to a total prize fund of £64.2m.

>But as pre-tournament news conferences got under way on Saturday there were signs that not all of the players were sticking to their time limit - and some decided to break rank because they were happy with Wimbledon's offer.

>"I hope we not going to get to this boycotting again," said Sabalenka.

>"We do it for the tour, we don't do it for ourselves. We do it for the rest of the players who are suffering to even hire [a] coach.

>"It's not an easy life for players who are lower in the rankings."

Raducanu quits practice as Wimbledon fitness fears grow • >Sinner seeks to resume dominance after French Open shock • >Are tennis players right to protest over prize money?'Nobody is angry' - what happened at Wimbledon media day?Defending men's champion Sinner shut down questions about the protest - saying he wanted to talk only about tennis - in a short English language section before switching to Italian.

>Others - including defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and former world number one Daniil Medvedev - also limited their media commitments to one main news conference and one or two broadcast interviews.

>It was the second successive Slam where players protested at what they perceive as a lack of action following a similar move at last month's French Open.

>In comparison, seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic - who is not participating in the protest - held a 20-minute news conference and spoke to 18 television outlets.

>"Maybe what we did at Roland Garros partly helped us to push Wimbledon," said Medvedev.

>"We're not accountants but we're processing the information we are given. We're seeing the percentage of the revenue is lower than 10 years ago, so we're kind of getting less money.

>"We're pushing for something more which we think is fair. Nobody is angry - it is just a discussion."

>On Saturday, protesting players were timing their news conferences, with several agents seen urging moderators to wrap them up.

>Sally Bolton, the All England Club's chief executive, told BBC Sport on Friday she was "surprised and disappointed" by the move to protest.

>Australian sixth seed Alex de Minaur was involved in the protests at last month's French Open but decided he did not want to take part at Wimbledon.

>"I think the sense that we had at Roland Garros was everyone was on board, even though we didn't, as a collective, achieve the numbers that we were looking for," he said.

>"I thought that Wimbledon made a big step in the right direction, and something that should be noted. So this is for me to acknowledge their big step."

>Germany's Alexander Zverev, who claimed his first major win in Paris earlier this month, also decided to step back.

>"I still want to be part of the players' movement, but also I realised the media can't really do anything about it, or can't really change it," said Zverev, who represented the players in talks with the Grand Slams at Wimbledon last year.

>"It's not good to take it [out] on someone that doesn't have the power of control, so I'm doing half an hour [of media]. But I still hope for some change in tennis, for sure."

>The 15-minute limit on media appearances is meant to symbolise the 15% of revenue which - broadly speaking - the Grand Slams allocate to prize money.

>Representatives of the players say the decision was taken "following detailed consultation with players across both tours".

>They are asking each Grand Slam to provide a 16% slice of their revenue in prize money - with that figure increasing to 22% by 2030.

>Wimbledon believe their increased contribution is more than fair and also point to the money they have spent on improving player facilities at the All England Club.

>This year's Wimbledon singles champions will each take home £3.6m, up from £3m last year, while first-round losers will earn £80,000.

Live scores, results and order of play • >Get tennis news sent straight to your phone