"Women deserve respect... It's not politically correct" - When Novak Djokovic accepted criticism on Indian Wells director for controversial comments

Novak Djokovic once weighed in on the controversy surrounding former Indian Wells director Raymond Moore's comments on women's tennis. He admitted that Moore's remarks were out of line and stressed that female players deserved more respect.

In 2016, Moore said that female players "ride on the coattails of the men" and are "very, very lucky" to have men's tennis leading the way. He also suggested that if he were a female player, he would "get down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport."

"If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank god that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born because they have carried this sport. They really have," he told the media.

Djokovic, who won the ATP Masters 1000 tournament that year by defeating Milos Raonic, was asked about the controversy in a press conference. He acknowledged that Moore's comments were disrespectful toward women but also stated that the ATP Tour should push for higher prize money.

"I don't know what to say," he said. "I heard about it. Obviously it's a very delicate and sensitive subject to talk about. 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."

The 24-time Grand Slam champion added:

"They fought for what they deserve, and they got it. 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."

Raymond Moore’s comments sparked outrage among WTA greats like Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and others who openly lambasted him.

After Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova & others hit back at former Indian Wells director Raymond Moore

Serena Williams pictured at the 2022 | Image Source: Getty

Serena Williams was among the first WTA players to express her disappointment over Raymond Moore's controversial comments about women's tennis at the 2016 Indian Wells. The American, who reached the final but lost to Victoria Azarenka, later told reporters:

“If you read the transcript you can only interpret it one way. I speak very good English; I’m sure he does, too. There's only one way to interpret that. Get on your knees, which is offensive enough, and thank a man, which is not—we, as women, have come a long way. We shouldn't have to drop to our knees at any point."

Martina Navratilova also weighed in, telling the media she was heartbroken by Moore's "prejudiced" comments. She even made a bold claim, suggesting that if he remained CEO, female players might refuse to compete at the tournament.

"It is really disheartening to see Ray Moore offer the extremely prejudiced and very old-fashioned statements regarding women tennis players. It would be hard to imagine any women wanting to go and play at Indian Wells if Moore stays as the tournament director," the 18-time Major champion said.

Billie Jean King wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"He is wrong on so many levels. Every player, especially the top players, contribute to our success."

Moore soon resigned as CEO and tournament director of Indian Wells, issuing an apology for his remarks. However, the backlash was overwhelming, and the damage had already been done.