"Thanks Novak Djokovic for fighting for this" - Fans laud the Serb in light of ATP's minimum-wage scheme for lower-ranked players

Novak Djokovic received plaudits from his fans after the ATP presented some infographics on how their 2024 minimum-wage scheme would provide financial relief to lower-ranked players.

The minimum-wage scheme called 'Baseline' is aimed at incentivizing male players ranked in the top 250 based on their performance. From next year, the ATP's top 100 will take home a "guaranteed base earning" of $300,000, and players ranked in the 101-175 and 176-250 range will receive $150,000 and $75,000, respectively.

The creation of the relief plan has been attributed by many to Novak Djokovic's efforts. The Serb has been angling for a more equitable share of the annual revenue since 2018. He also founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) in 2020 to protect the interests of lower-ranked players.

The Baseline scheme, which was announced in August, will be active from 2024 as part of a three-year trial.

Many of Djokovic's fans applauded his efforts in the replies to the ATP's Baseline scheme post on Instagram on Thursday (December 14).

One fan suggested that the Serb's fight for better revenue distribution added to his legacy.

"Thanks Novak for fighting for this. Your legend lives on," they wrote in the comments.

A screen capture of the Instagram post's replies

Another fan said the PTPA was "the best thing to happen to tennis in a long time."

"PTPA!!! The best thing to happen to tennis in a long time! Nole, Vasek, and everyone else involved deserves a big thank you," the fan wrote.

A screen capture of the Instagram post's replies

One fan, meanwhile, thanked Djokovic for "opening up the doors for the young talents" that are starting out on the ATP Tour.

"Big thanks to Novak Djokovic and all involved who made this happen, opening up the doors for young talents who can lift up the tennis sport even more!" they wrote.

A screen capture of the Instagram post's replies

Here are a few more reactions from social media:

A screen capture of the Instagram post's replies

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Novak Djokovic-led PTPA's Executive Director previously claimed that 'pressure from the PTPA' prompted ATP to bring out minimum-wage scheme

Novak Djokovic poses with the 2023 Australian Open trophy

The Executive Director of the PTPA, Ahmad Nassar, claimed in August that "pressure" from the players' body had prompted the ATP to look out for their lower-ranked players.

"Great to see another example of what pressure from @ptpaplayers can accomplish. Looking forward to digging into the details & ensuring this program is what it purports to be," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in August.

However, Nassar did point out some apparent flaws in the Baseline scheme. He said the ATP's plan didn't cover men's doubles players and lamented that the WTA players were behind in their fight for higher prize money.

"No mention of doubles players and of course not applicable to our WTA players - still much work to do," he added.