Coco Gauff makes feelings clear on why she and other ATP, WTA stars are pushing Grand Slams for bigger prize money split & benefits

Coco Gauff recently shared her thoughts on two letters sent by her along with a host of other top 10 WTA and ATP stars to the four tennis Majors. The players have sent the letters to the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon Championships and US Open in a bid to ensure greater benefits for players participating at the prestigious events, which make the most profits in tennis.

Apart from Gauff, some of the players to have signed the letters include Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek from the WTA side, and Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper from the ATP side. Through the written communication, the tennis stars want all players to earn greater prize money from the Majors. Demands for maternity and health benefits, as well as pension contributions have been made.

Following her 6-4, 6-0 second-round win against Kamilla Rakhimova at the 2025 China Open, Coco Gauff was asked about the letters. Here, the American firmly stood by the contents of the two letters and claimed that despite bearing the signatures of some of the sport's most elite names, they are intended to represent the top 300 players spanning both WTA and ATP tours.

"Yeah, I think the goal is just obviously increasing the percentage of prize money, but also making it better not just for us but throughout the field. The top 10 signed a letter as a representation of the entire tour, within the top 200 or top 300 I would say," Gauff said.

The two-time singles Major champion also acknowledged that she and other top players signed the letters because it's more likely for the Slams to heed their suggestions instead of those coming from lower-ranked players.

"Unfortunately it's like that: the top players, you can put more pressure, your voices are heard a little bit more. We try to take advantage of that and use it. Yeah, I think the biggest message is not just to benefit us, it's to benefit all the players," she added.

Coco Gauff to clash against former US Open runner-up in China Open 3R

Coco Gauff at the 2025 China Open (Source: Getty)

Leylah Fernandez, the 23-year-old Canadian who finished runner-up to Emma Raducanu in the 2021 US Open women's singles final, is Coco Gauff's third-round opponent at this year's China Open. Fernandez got her campaign in Beijing off to a flying start, as she ruthlessly dispatched Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-0.

The American and the Canadian have locked horns on two previous occasions. Both of those matches finished in Gauff's favor, that too in straight sets.

Coco Gauff is the defending women's singles champion at this year's China Open. In the final of last year's edition of the WTA 1000 hardcourt event in Beijing, she registered a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Karolina Muchova.