Djokovic explains the complaint filed by the PTPA against tennis authorities: "Only 400 of us make a living from our sport, that's not enough"

Arthur Millot

le 21/03/2025 à 07h28

2 min de lecture

Djokovic Miami

Djokovic addressed the legal action taken by the PTPA against tennis authorities.

In comments reported by the newspaper L’Équipe, the Serbian explained why his name does not appear on the complaint:

"I don’t think I need to sign because I want other players to get involved. I’ve been very active on tennis political issues.

I tried to represent the players on the Players’ Council and do my best while my career was at its peak.

I thought it was also my role to support the players and fight for their rights. In 20 years on the tour, I’ve seen things change, but there are fundamental changes that haven’t happened yet.

I really hope the authorities and the stakeholders involved will come to an agreement."

The 24-time Grand Slam champion also justified the strong language used in the complaint and discussed the difficulty most tennis players face in making a living from their sport:

"It’s a standard lawsuit. To be honest with you, there are things I agree with and others I don’t.

I think some words are quite strong, like cartel or corrupt system, but I imagine the team handling this knows what they’re doing.

At the top, we earn a lot of money, and I can’t complain at all for myself. But there are probably around 400 of us making a living from it, which isn’t enough for a global sport like ours.

I want to see that number grow. We are the third most popular sport in the world, but if we look at maximizing the potential of this sport, we only rank ninth or tenth.

There’s a lot of room for improvement, and we all know it in our sport. I’m at the end of my career. I don’t mind talking about it.

However, I’d love to see the current leaders of the ATP and WTA, those who will lead this sport in the next decade, take the lead and understand that these issues are important for them, but also for everyone.

Even if you’re not on the council or in the PTPA, as a top player, you’re still someone looked up to by hundreds of others.

And I think there’s a responsibility. You have to remember where you came from, and we all know how tough it is on the Futures tour."

Currently in Florida, Djokovic will face Hijikata in the second round of the Miami Masters 1000.