Novak Djokovic hits back at critics who question his motives over prize money
Novak Djokovic has rejected suggestions that he is motivated by personal greed as he opened up once again on the issue of prize money in tennis.
Djokovic has stated time and again that he believes tennis players are underpaid, with huge profits generated by events like Wimbledon and the US Open not filtering down to the player as much as he would like.
This has been a long running complaint from Djokovic, with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) he supports leading the calls for increased prize money.
On average, Grand Slam tournaments reportedly distribute approximately 15% of their total revenues to participating players, but even those who go out in the opening rounds of Grand Slams earn big money from those events.
US Open chiefs have responded by offering the biggest prize money in tennis history for the winner of the fourth and final Grand Slam of 2025 singles champions both taking home a stunning $5m this year.
More Tennis News
Grand Slam champion warns Novak Djokovic he needs ‘help’ to challenge for US Open title
Who will win the US Open? Our men’s predictions, ft. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic
That represents a huge 38 per-cent increase on 2024, with Djokovic suggesting he is happy to see movement on this issue.
“Look, it’s a step in the right direction,” said Djokovic, who has won more prize money than any player in the history of the game.
“Obviously it’s always nice and positive to see that Grand Slams are willing to improve the prize money overall across the board for the players.
“Whether it’s an ideal situation for us, I think overall I don’t think so. I think there is still a lot more room for improvement in that sense.”
Djokovic went on to address the snipers who suggested his eagerness for prize money increases were driven by his own desire to add to his overflowing bank balance, as he rejected that accusation.
“I see that in the past when I talk about this topic, people like to say, ‘well, look at him, wanting more money for himself’. It’s not about that,” said the 24-time Grand Slam winner.
“I’m just talking about overall. Not many tennis players live out of this sport globally. That’s not something that I see has been talked about enough.
“It’s also important to understand that we live in a very commercial world. Entertainment and sports business are very big.
“And for Grand Slams, they are doing very well as well. So the US Open increased the prize money. Other slams are doing it too. But they also have a bigger revenue than the previous year.
“Then there is the inflation part, which is a completely different topic, but important to take in consideration when you talk about these things. Overall it’s definitely a positive step.”
Barry Fulcher runs the Progress Tour, which looks to give earning opportunities for players striving to make their way in the game and he was among those doubtful over Djokovic’s sentiments as he spoke out on the prize money issue.
“It’s tough for a player at this level of the game to make any sort of money at all, and that is what we are trying to address with these events on the Progress Tour,” Fulcher told Tennis365.
“It’s absolutely right for Novak to highlight the fact that, relative to other sports, there are so few players in the world able to earn a living from the sport.
“If you take what has been said at face value, Novak is absolutely on the money, but I’m not convinced that that is genuinely what the PTPA is fighting for.
“Ultimately, the players [represented by the PTPA] don’t feel that their slice of the pie is big enough relative to the revenues generated at the top of the game and I don’t disagree with this.
“It would be great to think that the PTPA are fighting the ‘good fight’ for the lower ranked players at 200, 300, 400 but I don’t think this is the motivation behind their moves.
“The talks around the breakaway tour are a testament to this – it’s not about ‘more players earning more money, but rather about the top [few] players earning a bigger share of the revenue. It feels like a bit of a contradiction in terms!
“From my perspective, this has always been the problem – we just don’t have enough players earning a living out of the sport, particularly when you consider the amount of wealth and resources we have within it.
“It seems that we are the only sport in the world actively trying to make the number of players earning a living out of it smaller rather than bigger. You only have to look at the recent debate around singles and doubles prize money distribution, with singles players feeling doubles players somehow are ‘undeserving’ of earning a living.
“So while I think a lot of what the PTPA is fighting for is good in principle, it would be great to understand if they are fighting for a wider spread of money around ALL players in the sport, or just a bigger cut for those at the top of the game.”
