Novak Djokovic calls for new men's player union in row over prize money
Novak Djokovic has turned shop steward in a row over prize money that has divided players and officials at the Australian Open.
On Friday night, the annual men’s player meeting in the build-up to the year’s first grand slam came to a premature close when Djokovic took the stage and asked for all those present who were not players – which meant staff from the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and Tennis Australia – to leave the room.
Djokovic – whose intervention took almost everyone by surprise – then invited a union lawyer onto the stage and argued that the male players should form their own union, separate from the ATP, which is constituted of equal parts players and tournaments.
The underlying reason for this move, Djokovic suggested, is that the players are not getting a fair deal from their events. The grand slams only pay out around seven per cent of their income, whereas the equivalent figure in American basketball – which was cited as a point of comparison in the meeting – is around 50 per cent.
By forming a union of their own, Djokovic’s argument went, he and his allies would be able to push more effectively for pay rises. It is understood that Andy Murray, who attended the meeting despite his recent hip surgery, is supportive of the principle that players should be better paid. Roger Federer, however, is believed to favour the status quo in which one body – the ATP – represents the main interests of men’s tennis.
This rallying call to the players came only an hour or so after Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia’s chief executive, had outlined his plans for an increase in the total prize-pot for this tournament from A$55 million this year to around A$60m in 2019, with an aspiration to reach the A$100m mark in five years' time.
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Djokovic has been the president of the ATP player council since the last elections were held in the build-up to the 2016 US Open. His vice-president, Kevin Anderson, was asked about the situation after he came off court today, and suggested that the goal is to extend the number of players who earn a reasonable income from the tour.
“Things have got a lot better from where we were four to five years ago,” Anderson said. “Now if you are top 100 you are making a good living. I think we want to push that to 150, 200 and keep going.
“I can completely understand that guys feel they want more,” Anderson added. “I think we do deserve more. But I also understand the opposite perspective. Our tour is 50 per cent players, 50 per cent tournaments. There are some frustrations and challenges with that but at the same time there’s balances and checks as well. We’ll keep trying to find a solution.”
Djokovic has not commented publicly on his unexpected rallying call but will surely be asked about it after his first-round match here tomorrow. As for the ATP, they are waiting to see if anything concrete emerges from the players’ unrest – which is understood to also include resentment over the grand slams’ insistence on paying the same prize-money to men and women.
“It's constant discussions,” said Anderson. “There’s not a lot of substance to it right now.”
