Grand Slam Purses Sore Point for Players PARIS - Donald Young lost in the first round of the French Open and pocketed 18,000 euros, or about $22,300. This was a 20 percent raise from last year for first-round losers at Roland Garros, yet Young said it would not drastically alter his routines. The increase would slightly augment his cash pool for general expenses, pay for an extra flight or three, or help him afford a personal trainer if he desired one. In a state-of-the-ATP-Tour sense, Young considered any increase progress, particularly given widespread player unrest in recent months. But like many of his competitors, Young did not believe the increases in French Open and Wimbledon total prize money - in response to player complaints over the division of Grand Slam revenues - were that significant. They were more like a good start. "An extra 3,000 euro isn't going to change your lifestyle," Young said. Michael Russell sat beside Young and nodded. At age 34, he is a tour veteran, the kind of player who, when younger, would have benefited from the extra cash, this particular increase weighted more heavily for players who lose in the first three rounds. And yet, these cries of progress also sounded familiar. "I've been in all these players" meetings, and I've seen people stand up and ask questions and call for change, and nothing happens," Russell said. It's a cycle that continues. The problem is the structure is flawed, the system is flawed. There's no representation of the players. Chief among player grievances is dissatisfaction with compensation at Grand Slam tournaments, for which players said their share was as low as 5 percent to 15 percent, far lower than the figure in other sports. The new N.B.A. agreement, for instance, calls for a 50-50 split of basketball-related revenue. The French Open said it raised its total prize money to $24.6 million this year, or about 7 percent. Players who lost in the early rounds, though, saw their take jump 10 percent to 20 percent. Wimbledon increased its total prize pool to $25.9 million, or 10 percent, and gave first-round losers a 26.1 percent bump. These increases came earlier than expected, as recent discussions between the parties had aimed for 2013. For Justin Gimelstob, a player representative on the ATP board of directors, this represented "progress" but with "a long way to go." An article in L'Equipe this week said the French Open made 49 million euros this year in media rights, 28 million euros in ticketing, 30 million euros in public relations and hospitality and 33 million euros from sponsors. This total is equivalent to about $174 million. Gimelstob saw the players" share of that pool as disproportionately low. "We need to remove emotion and look at this in a business sense," he said. What is the market value? Is Ashton Kutcher worth $1 million for each episode of "Two and a Half Men"? The market says so. So why not Federer and Djokovic? How much of that money do they bring in? Where current players saw a lack of progress, where they saw the potential for labor strife in 2013, Gimelstob saw something he had not seen before. He saw the world's top four players - Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray - intensely involved in player rights discussions and, while divided on some issues, they were united on Grand Slam compensation. Federer, as player council president, led the negotiation charge on lower-tier prize money increases. "I can't imagine there's ever been a period where the top four have been more engaged," Gimelstob said. And that's power. That's leverage. Tour complaints, of course, are almost as old as rackets, and beyond Grand Slam payouts, players have criticized the packed calendar, the long season and their general lack of input. The players are represented by a council with 10 players (and two honorary, non-voting members) who are elected every two years. They are partners with the ATP Tour. Then there is the International Tennis Federation, the sport's governing body. Then there are the individual Grand Slam tournaments.