Former Argentine tennis player Marco Trungelliti recently lauded Novak Djokovic for fighting to reduce pay inequality in tennis. He blasted Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for their silence on the same. Djokovic founded the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) along with Vasek Pospisil in 2020 to give voice to players’ concerns.
The wage gap between the elite and the lower-ranked players is an issue the PTPA aims to address and cover. Their role has been credited as the ATP relented this year to introduce the Baseline plan to give financial security to lower-ranked players. The program aims to ensure players ranked till No.250 earn a minimum fixed amount every season.
Novak Djokovic has lived through real financial crunch
Novak Djokovic founded PTPA to help the smaller names find a voice. He has frequently questioned what the ATP is doing to ensure lower-ranked players do not struggle financially to compete on tour. He knows how monetary issues take a mental and emotional toll, having seen a ‘rags to riches’ story himself.
Growing up in war-torn Serbia in the 1990s, Djokovic has seen extreme money crunches. In an interview, he revealed that his family of five was down to their last 10 Deutsche Mark (about $10 today) during the NATO bombing in 1999. His father, Srdjan, borrowed money from criminal loan sharks at high interest to keep young Novak’s training going (via Express). At the time, Srdjan’s pizza parlour had to be apparently be shut down.
During the 2023 US Open, Djokovic again raised the point of players outside the top 100 struggling to make ends meet. He said the PTPA was not formed for his gains, saying he has earned enough for this lifetime (via Forbes). He stated that the association was created to help lower-ranked players. The 24-time Grand Slam winner said those players struggle with their finances and often travel without coaches. He claimed many people do not comprehend how expensive tennis is.
“I’m fine for this life and many other lives. We all definitely want to see a change at the base level because the 150th player on the planet struggles and often has to travel without a coach. People don’t realize how expensive this sport is.”
Federer and Nadal have often been called out for their relative silence on this topic. Both the players hail from comparatively more privileged and secure backgrounds than Djokovic. Both were able to afford tennis training at a good level from their early days and never saw any major financial struggles. They have made the occasional call for prize money to be distributed more fairly. However, despite their past positions in the ATP Players Council, Federer and Nadal haven’t taken concrete steps in this regard.
When Federer and Nadal slammed Djokovic for PTPA
Trungelliti, who praised Djokovic and the PTPA’s efforts to get more money for the lower-ranked players, lambasted Federer and Nadal for not speaking up. He said the legendary duo are ‘complicit’ in the poor pay structure because they never questioned it. He said they may be great players, but as humans trying to change the system, they were poor (via tennis365).
“You can’t be complicit in the fact that 80-100 people make a living from tennis. It’s what has always bothered me and will continue to bother me. As players, they can be very good, but as humans trying to improve the system in general, they seem very poor to me. This is what Djokovic and Pospisil are doing today as well. Plus, all that work at the PTPA takes up time and energy.”
Nadal and Federer have also been staunch critics of the PTPA. When the association was launched, the Spaniard put out a tweet calling it a ‘separation’ and ‘disunion’. He said everyone should work together during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than split up. Federer agreed with the tweet, saying unity was crucial.
While the PTPA claims to have over 250 members, most top players have not joined hands with Djokovic’s foundation. This could be due to indifference or the fear of repercussions from going against the ATP. However, the PTPA continues to grow and an empathetic Djokovic will look to keep rallying for the players.
