Nick Kyrgios implores Novak Djokovic-led PTPA to "help" as tennis drastically trails NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB and all major sports in revenue sharing

Nick Kyrgios has called upon the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), founded in 2019 by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, to address the concerns about low revenue sharing in tennis. The Australian's remarks were sparked by a recent comparison showing tennis lagging behind all other major sports in revenue distribution.

Kyrgios joined the PTPA in June last year, describing it as an "amazing initiative." According to the PTPA's website, the organization aims to represent the "best interests of all players" and promote their well-being. As such, the Australian urged the organization to take action after making note of a concerning metric.

A recent Instagram post compared the disparity in revenue sharing across all major sports. The English Premier League and Bundesliga led the way, with 61% and 53%, respectively, of the total revenue going to players. The NBA (50%), NHL (50%), NFL (47%), and MLB (47%) followed closely, while the AFL (28%) and men's golf (22.6%) ranked lower.

Meanwhile, tennis placed last by a significant margin, with only 17.5% of the revenue shared with players. The post also highlighted that the average annual salary in the Premier League was $3.52 million, whereas male tennis players ranked in the world’s top 1,000 only earned $200,000 on average.

Nick Kyrgios, who has previously criticized the low revenue share in tennis, reshared the post and implored the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA to "help" resolve the issue.

"ONLY SPORT THAT ARENT EMPLOYEES. PLEASE HELP. @ptpaplayers," Kyrgios posted on his Instagram story.

Nick Kyrgios' Instagram story

"Tennis is a sport where you pay for everything" - Nick Kyrgios on needing Novak Djokovic's mental toughness to survive in 'brutal' sport of tennis

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios (Source: Getty)

During a recent appearance on 'The Louis Theroux Podcast,' Nick Kyrgios deemed tennis the "hardest sport in the world." He highlighted the heavy financial burden on players, pointing out that they were responsible for their expenses.

"Tennis is a sport where you pay for everything, you subsidize for your coaches, travel, your parents, your physios, whereas most sports, it’s all subsidized by the governing body. Tennis is a tough one. It’s the hardest sport in the world in my opinion," Nick Kyrgios said.

The Australian also emphasized that players needed to possess the same physical and mental toughness as Novak Djokovic to survive in the "brutal" sport.

"Mentally, you have to be unbelievably tough, because you’re always traveling, you never settle, you never have any routine. Physically, you have to be an animal, to be someone like Novak Djokovic animal. These guys are some of the most skilful athletes in the world. It’s a brutal sport, it really is," he added.

Kyrgios recently credited Djokovic for inspiring him to return to the tour after his injury struggles. The 29-year-old is set to make his ATP comeback at the 2025 Brisbane International in the lead-up to the Australian Open.