Novak Djokovic denies talk of Australian Open boycott

After a straightforward win over Donald Young on Tuesday, Novak Djokovic confirmed that a number of male tennis players had held a meeting to discuss issues relating to the ATP Tour (the elite professional tennis circuit) but denied that they spoke about financial matters.

Several media outlets reported on Monday that Djokovic, who serves as president of the ATP Player Council, had advocated a boycott of next year's Australian Open, a new breakaway players' union and an end to equal pay for men and women at grand slams.

But the 12-time grand slam winner, who is returning from a long term elbow injury in Melbourne, said suggestions that he wanted a new players' union to push for a greater share of revenue generated by tournaments were largely incorrect.

"I saw that you've portrayed me as someone who is very greedy, asks for more money and wants to boycott," Djokovic told reporters at his post match press conference. "What happened is that we, players, just wanted to have us players talk about certain topics. I don't think there is anything unhealthy about that."

Most players remained tight lipped about the meeting, including Germany's Alexander Zverev, ranked 4 in the world, who said:  "I don't really have a position [on the subject[ because that was the first time it was mentioned," he said. "Everybody listened to it. That's about it." 

Reports on Monday had also suggested that Djokovic was in favor of ending the era of equal pay for men and women at grand slams. Though this is not confirmed, it would put him at loggerheads with several other top male players, including Britain's Andy Murray, a vocal advocate of gender equality in the sport.

Total prize money for the Australian Open stands at €35 million ($42 million) this year, a 10 percent increase over 2017. The men's and women's singles champions will both take home €2.45 million ($3 million), while first-round losers will make €37,000 ($46,000).

Though tennis is lucrative for those at the top table, many of the players are said to have concerns about the distribution of the ATP's income, with American player Ryan Harrison, ranked 45 in the world, breaking ranks to voice his thoughts.

“I think there’s a big case to be made [for more prize money], as far as percentage [from tournament revenue] goes. We make really good money in tennis but, at the same time, from a professional athlete’s standpoint, it could not be compared with others," he said. "If you see an NBA or NFL player, you think seven figures in their bank account. I don’t think that’s the case even for [some players who] make the main draw at grand slams."

For Djokovic though, talk of boycotts and changes to pay structures is premature. 

"I know that you guys are trying to take this forward several steps," he said to the assembled media. "Obviously you're talking about a union, you're talking about boycott, you're talking about radical decisions to make ... so we can get financial compensations the way we deserve it. But there was no talks about that."

mp/ (AP, AFP)