Corona pandemic means that no tournaments on the ATP tour are played indefinitely. It is particularly hard on the players who are far from the big prize money.
Djokovic was quickly supported by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who both gave a thumbs up to the Serbian initiative.
Austrian Thiem is not as fond of the proposal.
- Frankly, I have to say that no tennis player will have to fight to survive, not even the lower ranked ones, Thiem tells the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung.
Rather, he is critical of how many further down the hierarchy behave as professional tennis players.
- There are many players who do not put the sport above all else and do not live in a professional way. I have a little trouble seeing why I should give such players money. I'd rather give money to people or organizations who really need them.
Djokovic's proposal is to raise between SEK 30 and 45 million for a fund. The money should be taken from the season-ending World Tour Finals or from the bonus top players receive at the end of the year.
Thiem doesn't like it.
- None of us at the top got anything served, we all had to fight our way up. There is no job that guarantees you to be successful and make a lot of money. That's how I look at it all, says Thiem.