The world’s top-ranked male tennis player once again backtracked Wednesday in “clarifying” what he meant when he set off a firestorm in the tennis world Sunday regarding the issue of equal pay in men’s and women’s tennis.
In a news conference during the first full day of matches at the Miami Open, world No. 1 Novak Djokavic told a packed room: “I never had an issue with the equality within gender and equal opportunities in sport and in any other field of life. That’s all.”
Djokovic was 40 minutes late to the media gathering because he said he was talking to women’s legends Billie Jean King and Chris Evert, who called their own news conference before his. The subject of “Equal Pay for Equal Play” was a hot topic on a day that didn’t feature any top-ranked players.
When Djokovic was told he also said he felt men deserve more prize money, the Serb said, “I was referring to the tournaments and the wealth that is distributed toward all the players — high-ranked, low-ranked, female, male, young, old. I was talking in the name of all the players. I think we deserve more of the wealth distribution that is generated in certain tournaments.”
On Sunday after winning the Indian Wells final, Djokavic, 28, said, “Men attract more attention. 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 get awarded more. Women should fight for what they think they deserve and we should fight for what we think we deserve.”
Djokovic began to backtrack Tuesday night when he went on Facebook to say the “euphoria and adrenalin after the win on Sunday got the best of me and I’ve made some comments that are not the best articulation of my view. … 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. 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.”
King and Evert talked for about 45 minutes, with King saying the “silver lining” of the firestorm this week has been the “outrage” by players and media and the public that has fueled dialogue on the “equality issue.”
On Tuesday, World No. 1 woman Serena Williams said on the heels of Djokovic’s statements: “Novak is entitled to his opinion, but if he has a daughter — I think he has a son right now — he should talk to her and tell her how his son deserves more money because he is a boy.
“It all boils down to that. I would never put a sex against another sex. It’s unfair to compare. We have had so many great women champions and players who have brought such great vision to the sport.”
Said King: “It’s not a he thing. It’s not a she thing. It’s a we thing.”
King favors the WTA and ATP merging, but believes her feelings, made public for years, have gone unheeded.
“I just wish we were one association,” King said. “We could be so powerful.”