Novak Djokovic clarifies comments on gender and pay allocation

Novak Djokovic clarified in a Facebook post on Tuesday his earlier comments that male tennis players should make more than females.

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Novak Djokovic clarified in a Facebook post on Tuesday his earlier comments that male tennis players should make more than females.

Djokovic said Monday that he believed men should earn more, saying that stats showed their matches are a bigger draw and that based on that data, the pay should be “fairly distributed.” Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore made similar comments on Sunday.

Djokovic’s post is below.

• Djokovic: Male players deserve more than women

“Dear all, I typically use this page to share my excitement with you, especially after big wins.

But this time I had to take a few deep breaths before addressing you. As you may have seen, I was asked to comment on a controversy that wasn’t of my making. Euphoria and adrenalin after the win on Sunday got the best of me and I’ve made some comments that are not the best articulation of my view, and I would like to clarify them.

As you all know, I care deeply about the future of the game and all of the players. Tennis helped me so much in my life and being where I am today, I felt the need to speak about the fairer and better distribution of funds across the board - this was meant for both men and women. We all have to fight for what we deserve. This was never meant to be made into a fight between genders and differences in pay, but in the way all players are rewarded for their play and effort.

Tennis is a sport that I love and that gave me the opportunity to help others who still have a long way to go to achieve their dreams. This was my view all along and I want to apologize to anyone who has taken this the wrong way.”