What did Novak Djokovic say about equal pay in tennis? Everything to know about the Serb's comments that sparked controversy

Novak Djokovic claimed in 2016 that male tennis players should be fighting for more money since they attracted more spectators.

The Serb's comments came after he won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells that year by beating Milos Raonic in the final. At the time, the tournament's chief executive Raymond Moore said that the WTA was a lucky organization that rode on the coattails on men's tennis.

Djokovic was asked to comment on the matter in his post-match press conference. He stated that equal pay in tennis was a delicate situation and that the women deserved respect for what they did.

“Obviously it’s a very delicate situation. Women deserve respect and admiration for what they are doing. You know, equal prize money was the main subject of the tennis world in the last seven, eight years," Djokovic said.

"I have been through that process as well so I understand how much power and energy WTA and all the advocates for equal prize money have invested in order to reach that. I applaud them for that, I honestly do. They fought for what they deserve and they got it," he added.

The Serb said that the men should fight for more prize money and that they deserved to be awarded more because of the higher amount of spectators compared to women's tennis.

"On the other hand I think that our men’s tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men’s tennis matches. I think that’s one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more," the Serb said.

"Women should fight for what they think they deserve and we should fight for what we think we deserve," he added.

Novak Djokovic apologized for his comments

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Ballon d'Or

Djokovic later apologized for his comments on social media and claimed that they were meant for both men and women as they needed to fight for what they deserved.

"As you all know, I care deeply about the future of the game and all of the players. Tennis helped me so much in my life and being where I am today, I felt the need to speak about the fairer and better distribution of funds across the board – this was meant for both men and women. We all have to fight for what we deserve," the Serb said.

The then-28-year-old said that he never wanted his comments to turn into a fight between genders and pay gaps.

“This was never meant to be made into a fight between genders and differences in pay, but in the way all players are rewarded for their play and effort. Tennis is a sport that I love and that gave me the opportunity to help others who still have a long way to go to achieve their dreams. This was my view all along and I want to apologise to anyone who has taken this the wrong way," Djokovic said.

After winning the Indian Wells Masters, the Serb also won the Miami Open by beating Kei Nishikori in the final. He thus completed the Sunshine Double for the third time in a row.