Nick Kyrgios, amidst his recovery from a wrist injury that led to his withdrawal from major tournaments in 2023, has voiced support for the sentiments expressed by the Novak Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) regarding the distribution of income within the sport.
The 28-year-old Australian, who has been largely absent from the ATP tour due to injury, has maintained an active presence on Instagram. While updating fans on his rehabilitation and sharing glimpses of his personal life, Kyrgios also takes the opportunity to highlight pertinent tennis-related content.
In a recent Instagram story shared on Friday (December 8), Kyrgios amplified an infographic originally posted by the PTPA, shedding light on the revenue-sharing aspect in professional tennis. The post highlighted that tennis allocates approximately 18% of its revenue to players, significantly lower in comparison to other major sports leagues such as the NBA (49-51%), NHL (50%), NFL (48%), MLB (48%), and PGA (around 34%). In response to these figures, Kyrgios expressed his dissatisfaction, captioning the post with a simple yet powerful statement: “Lol not acceptable.”
This concern over revenue distribution is not a new development spearheaded solely by Kyrgios. Back in 2018, Novak Djokovic emerged as a leading voice advocating for increased prize money in tennis. Djokovic, a prominent figure in the sport, called for a more equitable share of annual revenue among players. He compared the compensation structures in tennis unfavorably with those in leagues like the NBA and NFL, emphasizing that tennis players did not receive comparable incentives.
Djokovic’s stance on this matter gained momentum in 2020 when he parted ways with the ATP Players’ Council to establish the Professional Tennis Players Association. This move aimed to address the disparity in earnings and push for a fairer distribution of revenue within the sport.
The persistence of discussions surrounding revenue allocation in tennis highlights an ongoing debate within the tennis community regarding the financial welfare of players. Kyrgios’ recent reinforcement of the PTPA’s message underscores the need for continued dialogue and potential reforms to ensure a more equitable distribution of income among professional tennis players.
As Kyrgios focuses on his recovery and eyes a return to the competitive circuit, his advocacy for fairer compensation within tennis stands as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to address financial disparities in the sport, echoing the sentiments championed by the PTPA and led by figures like Novak Djokovic.
Nick Kyrgios in 2023
Currently ranked no.470, Nick played his last match on the 13th of June when he was defeated by world no.121 Yibing Wu 7-5 6-3 in the 1st round in Stuttgart (draw).
At present, during this year the Australian has a 0-1 win-loss record.
Novak Djokovic in 2023
Ranked world no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 25th of November when he capitulated to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
This season Djokovic has a compiled 56-7 record. The Serbian clinched 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic was the runner-up in Wimbledon.
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic played each other 3 times. Their head to head is 2-1 for Kyrgios. Before, the last time they squared off, Novak Djokovic won 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6(3) in the final in London (Wimbledon) in July 2022.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |