"I send message to Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki; I never had any intention to offend": When Novak Djokovic clarified his take on gender pay gap

Novak Djokovic once spoke to his fellow players like Andy Murray, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki to clarify his controversial take on the gender pay gap in tennis.

Djokovic stirred controversy in 2016 by suggesting that male players deserved to be paid more than their female counterparts because they brought a larger audience to the sport. He even suggested that the ATP should fight for a larger share of the profits generated on tour.

"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," he said.

The Serb's comments did not sit well with the tennis community, sparking severe backlash. Even his fellow players, like Serena Williams and Andy Murray, publicly expressed their disagreement with his stance.

In response to the criticism, Novak Djokovic clarified his comments during a press conference at the 2016 Miami Open, expressing that his "beliefs are completely in line with gender equality and equal opportunities."

The Serb revealed that he had engaged in an open and frank discussion with Andy Murray after the Brit's criticism of his comments. He also disclosed that he had reached out to Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic to ensure that they knew that his words didn't have a negative intent.

"Andy actually send me a message yesterday. Again, we spoke very openly and frankly about it," Djokovic said.

"I send a message to Serena, Wozniacki, Ana, anybody that I know just to make sure that they understand that I never had any intention to offend them or to come up with any kind of negative connotation in my statements," he added.

Djokovic emphasized his amiable relationships with both male and female players and shared that he was "shocked" by the extent of scrutiny his comments had received.

"So as I said, I have a very friendly and respectful relationship with both male and female tennis colleagues. Honestly, I was a little bit surprised and shocked with what kind of proportions, as I mentioned, this entire story got into media in last few days," he said.

"That's why I felt the need to share with you today and clarify my thoughts and views on everything," he added.

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"Novak Djokovic should tell his daughter how his son deserves more because he is a boy" - Serena Williams

Novak Djokovic

Serena Williams did not take kindly to Novak Djokovic's take on the gender pay gap, emphasizing that she would never support the idea of her daughter deserving lesser pay than her son in the hypothetical scenario where they both played tennis professionally.

"If I have a daughter who plays tennis and also have a son that plays tennis, I wouldn’t say that my son deserves more because he is a man. If they both started at three years old, I would say they both deserve the same amount of money," Williams said.

"I have been playing since the age of two, and it would be shocking to say my son would deserve more than my daughter," she added.

Williams also asserted that, if Djokovic had a daughter, he would have to tell her that he believes her brother should be paid more simply because he's a boy.

"It is irrelevant. (Djokovic) is entitled to his opinion, but if he has a daughter — I think he has a son right now — he should talk to her and tell her how his son deserves more money because he is a boy," she said.