Tennis: Djokovic requests other players to join union he co-founded

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Turin, Nov 20 (IANS) The 20-time Grand Slam champion and world No.1 Novak Djokovic has requested tennis players to unite and join the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA). Djokovic, who is vocal about the profit distribution among players is also the co-founder of PTPA.

"I am happy that such a big name of the tour (Bob Green, co-founder of the ATP tour) said that the profit distribution was 50:50 between tournaments and players. Nowadays it's much less, players get 25-30 percent and at Grand Slam, it's only 11-12 percent," Djokovic said. "It's a very sensitive topic in our sport and I have never hesitated to talk about it because I think it's very important."

Djokovic said that many people in the tennis business'don't want certain information to come to light.

"I know it's a thorn in the side of many tournaments or people in the tennis business; they just don't want certain information to come to light since they don't want players to know how things are run. This is one of the biggest reasons why the PTPA was founded and why this organization has to exist since otherwise, nobody represents the players' rights 100 percent. Currently, we are getting nowhere, and that only suits people who have a monopoly position," Djokovic said.

Djokovic wasn't happy with how players were treated at this year's Australian Open.

"Doesn't really matter whether it's vaccination or anything else in life. You should have the freedom to choose, to decide what you want to do. In this particular case, what you want to put in your body," he said.

"I have been always a proponent of that and always a supporter of freedom of choice, and I will be always supporting that because freedom is essential for I'd say a happy and prosperous life," he added.

--IANS

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