Novak Djokovic once talked to other tennis players, such as Andy Murray, Serena Williams, and Caroline Wozniacki, to explain his unpopular view on the pay gap between men and women in the sport.
In 2016, Djokovic caused a stir when he said that male tennis players should be paid more than female players because they brought more people to the sport. He even said the ATP should fight for a bigger share of the money made by the tour.
“I think our men’s tennis world, or ATP world, should fight for more because the numbers show that a lot more people watch men’s tennis matches.” He said, “I think that’s one reason why we might deserve more awards.”
People in the tennis community didn’t like what the Serb said, and he got a lot of negative feedback. Even other players, like Serena Williams and Andy Murray, said in public that they didn’t agree with his position.
During a press conference at the 2016 Miami Open, Novak Djokovic explained what he meant by what he said. He said that his “beliefs are completely in line with gender equality and equal opportunities.”
The Serb said that he had a direct and honest conversation with Andy Murray after the British player criticized what he said. He also said that he had talked to Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, and Ana Ivanovic to let them know that his words were not meant to hurt them.
“Andy did send me a message yesterday.” “Once more, we talked about it in an open and honest way,” he said.
“I send a message to Serena, Wozniacki, Ana, anybody that I know just to make sure that they understand that I never had any intention to offend them or to come up with any kind of negative connotation in my statements,” he said.
Then Djokovic talked about how friendly he was with both male and female players and how “shocked” he was by how much attention his words had gotten.
Again, I want to say that I get along well with both male and female tennis teammates and treat them with care. “To be honest, I was shocked and surprised by how big this story became in the last few days,” he said.
“That’s why I felt the need to share with you today and clarify my thoughts and views on everything,” he said.
“Novak Djokovic should tell his daughter how his son deserves more because he is a boy” – Serena says.
Novak Djokovic’s view on the gender pay gap didn’t sit well with Serena Williams. She made it clear that she would never agree with the idea that her daughter should get less pay than her son if they both played professional tennis.
“If I have a son and a daughter who both play tennis, I wouldn’t say that my son deserves more because he is a man.” “Their worth should be equal if they both began when they were three years old,” Williams said.
“I have been playing since the age of two and it would be shocking to say my son would deserve more than my daughter,” she told me.
Williams also asserted that Djokovic would have to tell his daughter that he thought her brother should be paid more than her because he was a boy if he had one.
“It doesn’t matter. Yes, Djokovic can say what he wants, but if he has a daughter—I think he does—he should talk to her about how his son should get more money because he is a boy, she said.
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