Players v Grand Slams: Are top-10 stars being reasonable?

All four Grand Slams have made huge investment in their grounds and facilities in recent years.

Each has at least two courts with a retractable roof, and the Australian Open added a third when the Margaret Court Arena was refurbished in 2015.

Guaranteed play leads to an increase in TV rights deals, which feeds into players’ pockets.

Part of the AELTC’s current nine-figure refurbishment of the Millennium Building includes a significant upgrade to player gyms, recovery areas, lounges and restaurants. There will be a roof terrace and garden on the top floor when it is completed in 2027.

The USTA is in the process of building a $250m (£189.7m) player performance centre at Flushing Meadows with expanded warm-up areas, locker rooms and dining facilities.

And on an annual basis, players competing in either qualifying or the main draw receive additional allowances from the Grand Slams. At this month’s Australian Open, players will be given per diems of A$350 (£174.35) a day – which covers the cost of a hotel room – an on-site meal allowance of A$100 (£49.81) a day and five free racquet restrings for every round they play.

Tennis Australia also offers a travel grant, which has been increased this year by 67% to A$10,000 (£4,981.30), while medical and laundry services as well as tickets and gifts are provided at all the venues.

The Slams also invest heavily in warm-up tournaments, which would otherwise often lose money. The AELTC, for example, says it has spent over £60m in supporting grass court events since 2019.

As well as investing proceeds into performance and grassroots tennis in their respective countries, each major championships contributes $750,000 (£572,302) a year to the Grand Slam Player Development Programme.

Major winners Elena Rybakina, Li Na and Gustavo Kuerten are among those to have benefited from the fund, which aims to help players from developing tennis nations on the road to the professional ranks.

And at the other end of the scale, top players can broker lucrative sponsorship deals off the back of their success.

Sinner, Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, for example, are all Rolex ambassadors and benefit from the watchmaker’s long association with the Grand Slams, which in Wimbledon’s case dates back nearly half a century.