Novak Djokovic Slams Tennis Administrators in Damning Prediction for the Sport’s Future

In a long post-match press conference after defeating Alexei Popyrin at Wimbledon 2024, Novak Djokovic once again addressed the future of tennis, a topic he discusses with passion and concern. Djokovic, often donning the hat of a social activist for the sport, highlighted the emerging threats posed by padel and pickleball. 

The Serb emphasized upon the fact that these sports, particularly at the grassroots level in many countries across the world, present a genuine competition to tennis and cannot coexist with it.

Djokovic used the United States as the reference point in his argument, suggesting that trends in the country often set the pace for the rest of the world. He pointed out that USA has seen a significant rise in the popularity of padel and pickleball, especially among younger audiences. This trend is alarming for tennis, as it suggests a shift in preference away from the sport.

According to Djokovic, this shift transcends typical demographic factors such as income, age, and education, indicating a broader, more fundamental change in sports preferences. Padel and pickleball are far more affordable and accessible than tennis at present. The 24-time Grand Slam champion took a dig at the game’s administrators again in claiming that they are not doing enough to reinvent the sport and make it more appealing to diverse audiences.

While the former World No.1 agreed that tennis is still the best racquet sport out of all, it is at a huge risk of losing its relevance and appeal. For investors or administrators, it is more financially feasible to have padel or pickleball courts on a plot of land as compared to one big tennis court for example. The maintenance cost of those three courts is far lesser than a tennis court too.

The Serb’s concerns are grounded in the idea that as younger audiences increasingly choose padel and pickleball, tennis could lose its relevance and appeal. Djokovic had more to say on where tennis stands today as a sport.

Djokovic on Tennis Fan Following as Compared to Other Sports

According to Djokovic, there is a big gap between how much tennis is being followed across the world and how well the sport is doing in terms of cashing in on that popularity. He highlighted a study done by PTPA, the organisation he co-founded in 2020, to declare that tennis is the 3rd or 4th most watched sport in the world alongside other British Commonwealth sport, cricket.  American football and soccer are possibly the other two in the top 4.

However, tennis is ranked a poor 9th when it comes to its administrators not being able to market the sport well and bringing in newer fans in different countries. The 7-time Wimbledon champion took the opportunity at a big platform like the Wimbledon post-match press conference to once again laud the PTPA for doing well in its mission to help players ranked outside the top 100 on both the ATP and WTA Tours.

Djokovic believes that it is essential to take their struggles seriously as in tennis, barely 350-400 professional players can make a proper living from it. Being one of the most expensive sports to take up, these players need resources and many opportunities to prove themselves and stand a fighting chance to survive in the sport.

He warned that if such a concern is overlooked by authorities, tennis risks being ‘endangered’ as lesser players would look to play it and that would hamper the ecosystem and talent supply everywhere. The Serb knows what he is talking about since federations in every country have different ways of operating and as he comes from Serbia, he literally made it to the top by hardly winning any support from them monetarily.

So Djokovic feels that beyond federations and administrators of the game, a new foundation of sorts can be formed by stakeholders in the sport such as players, media people, business houses, sponsors etc. who can lead this cause. His post-match comments serve as a wake-up call for the tennis community. Djokovic’s advocacy reflects his deep commitment to the sport and his desire to see it thrive in the years to come.