Aryna Sabalenka became the latest high-profile player to boycott a post-match press conference at the French Open on Wednesday, walking out after just three questions in a show of solidarity with a growing player mutiny against the tournament’s new media regulations. The world number two left the room after a brief, terse exchange, following in the footsteps of Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic, who have also refused to participate in full press duties this week. The dispute centres on the French Tennis Federation’s decision to require all players to attend a mandatory press conference after every match, regardless of result or injury.
Sabalenka, visibly agitated, told reporters: “This is not fair. We are not machines. We have to perform, then we have to talk.
It’s too much.” The walkout came just hours after the ATP and WTA issued a joint statement expressing “concern” over the new rules, which they say violate player welfare agreements. For the players, this is not about avoiding difficult questions but about the relentless grind of a schedule that leaves them mentally exhausted and physically drained.
They argue that the new rules, introduced without consultation, turn press conferences into compulsory labour rather than professional obligations. The French Open, for its part, insists the rules are designed to ensure media access and protect the tournament’s commercial partnerships. This is a battle about power and control.
On one side, a multi-million-euro tournament seeking to maximise exposure. On the other, athletes who say their voices are being commodified without regard for their wellbeing. It mirrors broader fights across the world of work, where employees push back against demands that treat them as cogs in a machine.
For Sabalenka, a player who has spoken openly about the pressure of top-level tennis, the press room has become a site of resistance. When a reporter asked her about the walkout, she replied: “I have nothing to say. I just want to play tennis.
” Then she left. The French Federation has yet to comment, but club officials are expected to meet with player representatives later this week. For now, the silence from the press room speaks louder than any press release.
