Novak Djokovic has urged tennis authorities to reassess the sport's tournament framework to prevent further injury-related withdrawals. The 24-time Grand Slam winner spoke after his first-round victory at Wimbledon against Yibing Wu on Centre Court, calling for urgent changes to the format and schedule.
Djokovic Calls for Shorter, More Dynamic Tournaments
Djokovic believes the current calendar is unsustainable, with 19 players—including British stars Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper—pulling out of Wimbledon due to injuries. Carlos Alcaraz has also been sidelined for several months with a wrist problem. "In my opinion, we have to change the format, the tours, have the tournaments have shorter matches, more dynamic, be able to have something more interesting and shorter length 'cause this is too long," Djokovic said in a press conference.
He added that Grand Slams should remain best-of-five, but the tours need adjustment. "I have my opinions on that. I think at least on the tours we can play around. We need to. It's not happening. So let's see what happens there."
Criticism of the 30-Year Masters Deal
Djokovic took aim at the 30-year profit-sharing arrangement for ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. He argued that the commercial benefits primarily favor tournament owners, not players. "Me, I was always against it. Commercially, as we said, from that perspective, obviously adds value, but adds value for who? Adds value for the tournament owners mostly," he stated.
He explained that the ATP and players only benefit from stadium revenue during the tournament (less than two weeks), while the rest of the year's revenue goes to stadium owners. "There is many other underlying reasons why I am completely against and was always against this 30-year deal. The players got the short end of the stick." Djokovic noted that while he was president of the player council, he lacked the executive power to vote against it.
Need for a Fundamental Reset
The 39-year-old Serb, who has scaled back his own schedule, sympathizes with younger players like Alcaraz who complain about the length of tournaments and time away from home. "I think tennis really needs a reset of some kind on a bigger level. I think our tours respectively are not functioning well at all," Djokovic said.
He acknowledged the ongoing tensions between players and governing bodies, which hinder progress. "I don't see that happening because what I've been hearing and what I've been seeing in the last couple of years, there's a lot more conflict within the governing bodies of our sport than there is unity."
Despite his criticism, Djokovic remains open to innovation. "I'm all for innovation and change because we have to retain the culture and history of our sport, which I've always respected."
