Novak Djokovic backs Nick Kyrgios over calls to fix ‘ridiculous’ tennis pay

Nick Kyrgios has won some high-powered support in his take-down of tennis over how much players are paid, with superstar Novak Djokovic labelling the tour “ridiculous”.

Novak Djokovic says Nick Kyrgios is right in claiming tennis players aren’t paid enough, and believes the “structure” of the ATP is to blame.

Kyrgios this week complained about the 11-month ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) season being “way too long” and that players weren’t compensated sufficiently.

“The tour is ridiculous compared to any other sport,” the Australian star said.

“It’s absurd, really, the amount of travel we do, considering we don’t even get paid what we are supposed to get paid, as well, which is a joke.”

Novak Djokovic (right) says Nick Kyrgios is right in claiming tennis players aren’t paid enough. Picture: AFP

Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam tournament singles winner who partnered Kyrgios in doubles this week at the Brisbane International, said it was “fact” that the “pie split” between tennis players and the ATP was less in percentage compared to other “major sports”.

“The pie split between the governing bodies in major sports, all major American sports, like NFL, NBA, baseball, NHL, is 50 per cent maybe more, some less, but around 50 per cent,” he said after beating Gael Monfils to reach the singles quarter-finals in Brisbane.

“Ours is way lower than that ­— it is true. Obviously it’s quite a different sport because it’s international, and played globally.

Novak Djokovic agrees tennis players aren’t compensated sufficiently. Picture: AFP

“We are under different rules and regulations of different countries and legislations, taxes … each tournament is independently governing their own prize money split.

“Then you have ATP, WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), then Grand Slams that are separate entities that can do whatever they like.

“It’s quite fragmented from that point of view. It’s not easy to get everybody in the same room and say `OK, let’s agree on a certain percentage’.”

Djokovic said the Professional Tennis Players Association, which he co-founded in 2019, had been formed to secure “better players’ rights” when it came to matters such as pay.

“I know exactly how the system works. Unfortunately players don’t really make a decision on the big topics,” he said.

“A problem with the very structure of the ATP is that as players we only have the 50 per cent of that organisation.

“A lot of times there was conflict of interest between tournaments and players. We wanted different things. We are part of the same system, and we can’t go without each other, but we are oftentimes in conflictual situations.

Nick Kyrgios this week complained about the 11-month ATP season being “way too long”.

“We want more money, (but) they (ATP) maybe don’t want to give us as much money when we talk about the prize money.

“There’s so many different layers of the prize money that you have to look into. It’s not that simple … (but) in essence what Nick was talking about is true.

“If you see it from a kind of general overview of just the pure percentage that tennis players are getting from the revenue share, it is way lower than most of the other global sports, American sports particularly.”

Originally published as Novak Djokovic backs Nick Kyrgios over calls to fix ‘ridiculous’ tennis pay