"We have a problem in the very structure" - Novak Djokovic calls out ATP for tennis players not getting paid as much as NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL

Novak Djokovic has been a longtime advocate for better conditions for tennis players. It is something that stems from his own life experience as someone with humble beginnings who knows full well how expensive the sport is.

Most tennis players are fortunate to be able to cover their basic expenses, let alone make any serious money from it. Top tennis players like Djokovic can make a lot of money, but very few get to that level.

Despite being at the pinnacle of the sport for quite some time now, the Serbian has always been vocal about this issue. He formed the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) to create better conditions for his fellow pros, many of whom have joined his organization since then.

Recently, in a press conference at Brisbane International, he talked about it again. He also called out the ATP for not creating better conditions for tennis players to earn as much as some other athletes do, considering that tennis is one of the more popular sports in the world.

"We have problem there.We have a problem in the very - how can I say - structure of the ATP is that as players we only have the 50% of that organization. There's always - not always but a lot of times there was conflict of interest between tournaments and players. We wanted different thing. The pie split between the governing bodies in major sports, all major American sports, like NFL, NBA, baseball, NHL, is 50% maybe more, some less, but around 50%. Ours is way lower than that. It is true," he said.

Djokovic has made similar comments in the past, and these issues have been a driving cause behind the formation of the PTPA.

Novak Djokovic's motivation for forming the PTPA

Novak Djokovic of Serbia in his match against Gael Monfils during the 2025 Brisbane International - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic formed the PTPA to address some of the concerns discussed above. Earlier, in an interview with the famous CBS program 60 Minutes, he expressed part of his motivation to initiate the PTPA.

“Women and men who are around 200 and lower ranked in the world, they are struggling a lot. They can’t afford a coach, they can’t afford travels, they skip tournaments, many of them leave tennis who are super talented and maybe capable of reaching great heights and successes, but they just can’t make it,” he said.

Since its inception many years ago, the organization has failed to do much, though part of that is thanks to the ATP, which took a very hostile stance against the Serb's initiative. Even so, professional players like Hubert Hurkacz, Ons Jabeur, and Paula Badosa have joined the organization.