Criticism of the rescue plan by Djokovic, Federer and Nadal

The big ones help the little ones. With this simple principle, ATP Player Council President Novak Djokovic wants to set up an aid fund for tennis players with poorer ratings after consulting with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. They make no money in the Corona crisis, their careers are on the brink.

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The initiative is generally received positively. But there is also criticism. The Australian tennis professional John Millman believes that such help is long overdue. On Twitter, he asks why the players weren’t supported much earlier.

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“Should have been distributed more”

“If there is concern about helping ranks 250 to 700, why was a global pandemic needed to understand that?” Millman wrote. The 30-year-old adds: “Over the years in which the prize money has risen at the top, a little more should have been spread overall.”

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Especially in the big tournaments, the prize money for the losers of the first rounds has recently increased more percentage. But too little, Millman believes. He had always been dissatisfied with the unfair distribution. “Because I also lived through the lower levels.”

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Millman is currently number 43 in the world. According to the plans of Djokovic and Co., he would be asked to donate $ 10,000. According to a predefined distribution key, the tennis stars in the top 100 should donate. Thanks to additional support from the ATP and the Grand Slam tournaments, $ 4 million will be raised.

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Who should benefit?

The players in the ranks 250 to 700 of the ranking should benefit. Each of them is said to receive $ 10,000. But that also creates some criticism.

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The current world number 700, Dominik Böhler, won prize money of just under $ 7,500 in 2019. “A check for $ 10,000 is like Christmas for these guys,” ex-British player Mark Petchey writes on Twitter. He also wonders what happens to former top players who crashed in the ranking: “Is Jack Sock getting $ 10,000 now?” The problem: Sock is still number 389 in the world, but was once in the top 8. In his career, he won over 10 million prize money. (sme)