Novak Djokovic says tennis innovation is ‘sabotaged’, wants to play on to see changes

Novak Djokovic has said that tennis’ norms and structure leave “so much potential that is unused” and that “innovation is obstructed” and “sabotaged” as a result.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion was speaking on a panel with NBA great Shaqille O’Neal and UFC’s Dana White at the Joy Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Djokovic, 38, is there to compete in the Six Kings Slam exhibition event, and reflected on the double-edged sword of tennis’ prestige in a discussion.

Having recounted how he became less accepting of “conforming to tennis’ rules and norms, quote-unquote, imaginable rules” as his career went on, Djokovic discussed the duality of the sport’s history.

“Tennis has been a sport of elites, has that kind of foundation…good, because we have a heritage and tradition and history that we’re proud of, and it’s a very global sport. But it has so much potential that is unused, and that is on the bad side, because the innovation is obstructed, it’s sabotaged, because you have to behave a certain way that we’ve gotten used to seeing people talk or play,” he said.

Djokovic did not specify which innovations he believed had been sabotaged, but his comments come after a new bout of criticism of the sport’s schedule from its top players, while political machinations between its various governing bodies designed to slim down that schedule rumble on.

The four Grand Slams, ATP and WTA Tours, and players — including the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) which Djokovic co-founded — largely agree that the season is too long and too disparate, but that players lower down the rankings need sufficient opportunity to win matches, events and prize money. What the solution to that problem looks like has been at the center of discussions in the sport for over two years, but remains far away.

The ATP and WTA and Grand Slams sent each other competing proposals that are yet to move forward over the past 18 months, while a group of top-10 men’s and women’s players have sent letters to the four Grand Slams asking for larger contributions to player welfare, increased prize money as a proportion of annual revenue, and the formation of a player council for the Grand Slams. Both the ATP and WTA already have player councils.

Djokovic put his name on the first letter, but not the second. He also did not put his name on the ongoing PTPA lawsuit against the ATP and WTA Tours — and as of last month, the four Grand Slams. According to people briefed on the litigation — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — Djokovic debated putting his name on the lawsuit, but declined, they said, to focus the action, which aims to increase prize money as a proportion of revenue and lead to a more manageable calendar, on tennis players as a collective.

The ATP and WTA have moved to transfer the lawsuit to a different court in the U.S. and to take it to arbitration respectively.

In Riyadh this week, Djokovic said that he believes that tennis will “rejuvenate” over the next couple of years thanks to structural changes, and that he wants to be there playing when it does.

“I feel like tennis is a sport that can be greatly transformed and I want to be part of that change, not just part of their change but I want to be playing when we kind of rejuvenate our sport and set the new platform that is going to go on for decades to come.”

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