Tennis Big 3 Djokovic, Nadal, Federer "We Must Help Players with Lost Income"

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, regarded as the tennis Big Three, have united in their call to support players facing financial difficulties due to tournament suspensions caused by the novel coronavirus. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] Novak Djokovic (No. 1, Serbia), Rafael Nadal (No. 2, Spain), and Roger Federer (No. 4, Switzerland), who are considered the 'Big 3' of men's tennis worldwide, have united to help players whose income has been cut off due to the suspension of tournaments caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

On the 19th (Korean time), Djokovic stated through his social network service (SNS), "With the tour suspended, lower-ranked players are facing very difficult situations," and added, "A few days ago, I discussed with Federer and Nadal ways to help players who are struggling due to the suspension of tournaments."

Djokovic, chairman of the ATP Tour Players' Council, said, "If the ATP and the four major tournaments join forces, we can establish a fund to support players," and expressed hope that "about 3 million to 4.5 million dollars (approximately 3.65 billion to 5.47 billion KRW) will be prepared."

Federer and Nadal are also members of the ATP Tour Players' Council.

It is known that a plan is being considered to collect a certain amount based on the current world rankings. Players ranked within the top 5 would contribute about 30,000 dollars (approximately 36 million KRW), and players ranked between 51st and 100th would pay 5,000 dollars each, raising about 1 million dollars, with the ATP Tour adding a similar amount.

Djokovic added, "The players currently struggling due to the suspension of tournaments are the grassroots of tennis," emphasizing, "Helping them is essential for the future of tennis to survive."

All ATP-sanctioned tournaments have been temporarily suspended since mid-last month. This is the first time since the 1940s during World War II that a major tournament like Wimbledon has been halted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.