Djokovic is disappointed with tennis bonuses

Novak Djokovic believes that the fact that only about 400 players make a living from tennis is a failure of this sport.

"I am on the side of the players who are facing financial difficulties," Djokovic said at a meeting of the Professional Tennis Players Association. "They face a lot of expenses, which without support from the association would be a big problem."

Djokovic earned about three million USD thanks to the US Open title he just won. His total prize money this year has surpassed the $10 million mark, largely thanks to winning three of four Grand Slam finals. The Serbian tennis player believes that the ATP needs a different compensation mechanism for male and female players and players who only play doubles.

"Only 400 tennis players make a living from the profession, a very small number for a global sport," Djokovic added. "This is the failure of tennis. Almost no one cares about how many tennis players can pursue a career with their current income."

Djokovic is the President of the Professional Tennis Players Association PTPA - an organization that helps tennis players participate more in the compensation process of professional events. Photo: AP

Djokovic's statement was posted after Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal said last week that he only had 900 euros left in his bank account. Nagal is at 159 ATP, admitting to living on the help of a tennis organization and a fuel company in the absence of a major sponsor.

Nagal has been India's top tennis player for many years. After winning the men's doubles championship with Ly Hoang Nam at the 2015 Wimbledon youth tournament, Nagal sometimes rose to 122nd ATP in 2020. The Indian tennis player also participated in the main round of Grand Slam tournaments three times and won a set before. Roger Federer in the first round of the 2019 US Open. He is also the only Indian player to have participated in the men's singles event at the Olympics and won a match at the Olympics.

Three years ago, Djokovic and dozens of other tennis players founded the PTPA Professional Tennis Players Association to protect the rights of tennis players struggling to make a living. ATP then sent a letter protesting the PTPA, but Djokovic said his organization has no intention of seceding or boycotting tournaments.

Co-founder of the PTPA with Djokovic, tennis player Vasek Popisil then announced that he was leaving the ATP because the organization "did not have any significant impact" on the players. Popisil believes that the ATP Tour does not ensure a reasonable schedule and bonuses for lower-ranked players.

According to TennisHQ , only the top 150 ATP players have not lost money in their pursuit of tennis, accounting for 6% of the ranked professional male tennis players. The top 5 best male tennis players in the world earn an average of eight million USD per year. The top 50-100 earn about $510,456, and those ranked 500 - 1,000 earn $6,996.

If outside the top 600 in the world, a tennis player cannot live on prize money. Their income is below the minimum wage in the US, only 9,554 USD per year. This is lower than the income of a part-time grocery packager or shipper.

Players outside the top 1,000 only earn about 2,726 USD, not enough money for airfare to travel. TennisHQ statistics show that people in the top 300 struggle to pursue tennis. Players from position 267 - 300 ATP earn an average of 42,000 USD, equivalent to the salary of a sports coach or accountant.

Their costs when participating in the ATP Tour are very high, including coach salaries, travel expenses, training equipment, hotels, meals and physical therapy. Players must reach the top 150 in the world, earning an average of 150,000 USD per year, for players to break even. They were then well known and could use their images to earn more income from advertising and sponsorship contracts.

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