Novak Đoković once again touched upon the position of players and the distribution of money at the largest tournaments. During a press conference in Rome, the Serbian ace spoke about the long-standing struggle for tennis players’ rights, as well as the reasons why the PTPA was founded.
Although public attention in recent days has been directed toward a possible boycott of Roland Garros due to financial conditions, especially following statements by Aryna Sabalenka, Đoković pointed out that the problem has lasted much longer and did not arise overnight.
Before touching on that topic, Novak spoke about his ambitions on clay and the upcoming performance in Rome.
“The main goal in this part of the season is Roland Garros, and I want to be at the highest level there. Of course, it is also important for me to play well in Rome, but currently, I don’t have high expectations,” said Đoković.
He then explained in detail why he believes that players have not had adequate treatment for years.
“I have been talking about this for a very long time. This is not a topic that appeared just now. For years, I have been talking about the problems of players and their position in tennis. Sometimes it causes more attention, sometimes less, but the problems are constantly present,” the Serbian tennis player stated.
Đoković emphasized that this was precisely why he participated in the founding of the PTPA, an organization that attempts to represent the interests of players outside the existing system.
“I felt it was necessary to find a more serious and long-term solution. The system is set up in a way that largely does not favor tennis players, and that is why I wanted us to try to change certain things through the players’ association,” Novak explained.
He is particularly bothered by the way his statements about money in tennis are often interpreted in public.
“In the past, I noticed that people often twisted my words and said that I was asking for more money for myself, even when I was winning Slams. You like to put headlines about how the Grand Slam winner gets such and such money, never more in history. The huge sums received by Grand Slam champions are always emphasized, but it is rarely mentioned that there are tennis players who barely survive on the tour,” said Đoković.
The Serbian ace believes that the biggest problem lies with players outside the very top of the ATP and WTA lists.
“Many tennis players quit because they don’t have enough resources to continue their careers. There are few who can actually live off this sport once all costs are covered – travel, coaches, preparations. When everything is added up, a very small number of players remain in the black and can plan for the future,” Novak pointed out.
Speaking about the structure of professional tennis, Đoković assessed that players in the existing system practically have no real influence.
“I was part of the Players’ Council and I know how things function from the inside. From the outside, it might look like the players have a certain power, but in practice, that is not the case. The whole system is organized in a way that does not allow them to achieve what they are asking for. That is why the best players are trying to negotiate directly with the Grand Slams, and I think that is the only path toward changes that would benefit everyone,” Đoković concluded.
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Source: B92; Photo: Printscreen YouTube