Djokovic adds fuel to fire by claiming men deserve more

Novak Djokovic celebrates his win at Indian Wells.

Speaking ahead of the BNP Paribas Final between Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams, Moore said the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) was a “lucky organisation” which “rides on the coattails” of the men.

Seeming to overlook the 21 grand slams won by Williams –more than the 17 won by Roger Federer and 14 by Rafael Nadal – Moore added: “If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport. They really have.”

Moore later apologised for his comments that were in “poor taste and erroneous” but the damage had been done and Djokovic has added fuel to the fire.

Speaking after his straight-sets win over Milos Raonic in the men’s final, the Serb said women deserve the money they get, but men should fight for more because their game attracts more viewers.

He said: “Obviously it’s a very delicate situation. Women deserve respect and admiration for what they are doing. You know, equal prize money was the main subject of the tennis world in the last seven, eight years.

“I have been through that process as well so I understand how much power and energy WTA and all the advocates for equal prize money have invested in order to reach that.

“I applaud them for that, I honestly do. They fought for what they deserve and they got it. On the other hand, I think that our men’s tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men’s tennis matches. I think that’s one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more.

“Women should fight for what they think they deserve and we should fight for what we think we deserve.

“As long as it’s like that and there is data and stats available upon who attracts more attention, spectators, who sells more tickets and stuff like that, in relation to that it has to be fairly distributed.”

Moore’s comments were denounced by WTA chief executive Steve Simon, who says he is proud of all of the “strong athletes” on the tour.

He said: “As the tournament director of one of the pre-eminent events in professional tennis, the comments made by Raymond Moore were extremely disappointing and alarming. The WTA stands on its own and was founded on the principles of equality and empowerment.”