After Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner's unexpected moves, Jim Courier warns against 'easy' cash grabs ahead of French Open

A host of ATP stars including Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are set to play the week before the start of this year's French Open. According to former No. 1 Jim Courier, this stems from the hefty payouts they are set to receive from the pre-Roland Garros events. However, the four-time Major winner warned these stars of participating at these tournaments, suggesting that their short-term financial ambitions may cost them their chance at lifelong glory.

The upcoming Hamburg Open, an ATP 500-level event, is set to welcome reigning No. 1 Sinner and fellow ATP top 10 players Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune. Meanwhile, sixth-ranked Djokovic, along with Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud, are set to grace the Geneva Open, an ATP 250 tournament. Both tournaments are set to start and end on Sunday, May 18 and Saturday, May 24 respectively. This year's French Open is slated to commence on Sunday, May 25.

Recently, Jim Courier told Tennis Channel that the imminent participation of so many high-profile ATP stars spanning Hamburg and Geneva has come as a shock to him. The 54-year-old said:

"I'm really shocked honestly to see some of these names on here. Look, let's set the table. These tournaments can pay appearance fees. So some of these players will have accepted a big guarantee, I'm talking hundreds and thousands of dollars just to show up to play and they don't have to win a match to get that money, so there is some commercial aspect to this." (from 1:22)

The 23-time ATP Tour-level singles titlist went on to opine that generally, players who have won the French Open in the past have typically opted not to play at tournaments the week before Roland Garros. He also specifically wondered about the timing of the Hamburg Open and laid bare a staggering financial incentive for players to participate not just in Hamburg, but a handful of other ATP 500 events too.

"But, the serious players who think they're going to win Roland Garros or challenge for Roland Garros, they don't play these tournaments, and one thing that is different this year, and this is the only time that I've seen this, there's an ATP 500 tournament here, Hamburg, that's been put into this section. That doesn't happen before Wimbledon, doesn't happen before Australia, doesn't happen before the US Open," Courier continued.

"There are 250 tournaments around, and you just don't see the top players playing. There's a new bonus pool for ATP 500 this year. Six players, who play at least four of these ATP 500 tournaments, will share $3 million and extra money, so there are substantial financial incentives to play for players that are in that conversation," he added.

Courier concluded by issuing a warning to Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and the other ATP stars set to play across Hamburg and Geneva; that winning the French Open is much more lucrative, both in terms of money and leaving a lasting tennis legacy as champion of the prestigious claycourt Grand Slam.

"There's no amount of appearance money or bonus pool money that can replicate the kind of money you make if you win Roland Garros. So be careful what you wish for if you're going for the easy grab, you might miss out on a life-changing, generational wealth that sits at the end of these tournaments (Grand Slams)," Courier concluded.

Djokovic, a three-time champion in Roland Garros, is using this year's Geneva Open as a platform to prepare for the 2025 French Open. He did the same thing last year, and mustered a deep run in Paris before an unfortunate injury dashed his hopes of winning his 25th Major title.

Novak Djokovic reached Geneva Open SF before injury-stricken withdrawal from French Open QF

Novak Djokovic in action at the 2024 French Open (Source: Getty)

Having not played at the Madrid Open and then suffering an unexpected loss to Alejandro Tabilo at the Italian Open last year, Novak Djokovic decided to make his debut at the Geneva Open. The Serb managed to reach the semifinals of the ATP 250. However, he couldn't make it to the final as Tomas Machac got the better of him in the semis.

The deep run in Geneva seemed to give the 24-time Grand Slam champion the motivation he needed for the 2024 French Open, where he was the defending champion. He reached the last eight after overcoming Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Roberto Carballes Baena, Lorenzo Musetti and Francisco Cerundolo.

While the former No. 1's first two matches in Paris were straightforward affairs, the last two were anything but, as they both went to five sets. In registering his incredibly hard-fought win over Cerundolo, the Serb tore his right knee meniscus. Ahead of his quarterfinal clash against Casper Ruud, Djokovic announced his unfortunate withdrawal from Roland Garros.

This year, the ATP No. 6 would be hoping for better results, both in Geneva, and then in Paris. His recent form though, suggests he has a tough time ahead.