Novak Djokovic once weighed in on the controversy surrounding former Indian Wells director Raymond Moore’s comments on women’s tennis. Djokovic admitted that Moore’s remarks were out of line and emphasized that female players deserved more respect.
In 2016, Moore stated that female players “ride on the coattails of the men” and are “very, very lucky” to have men’s tennis leading the way. He further suggested that if he were a female player, he would “get down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born because they have carried this sport.”
Djokovic, who won the ATP Masters 1000 tournament that year by defeating Milos Raonic, was asked about the controversy during a press conference. He acknowledged that Moore’s comments were disrespectful toward women but also mentioned that the ATP Tour should advocate for higher prize money.
“I don’t know what to say,” Djokovic said. “I heard about it. Obviously, it’s a very delicate and sensitive subject to talk about. Women deserve respect and admiration for what they are doing. Equal prize money was the main subject of the tennis world in the last seven, eight years.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion added:
“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.”
Raymond Moore’s comments sparked outrage among WTA greats, including Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova, who openly criticized him.
Serena Williams was one of the first WTA players to voice her disappointment. After reaching the final and losing to Victoria Azarenka, Williams addressed Moore’s remarks, saying:
“If you read the transcript, you can only interpret it one way. I speak very good English; I’m sure he does, too. There’s only one way to interpret that. Get on your knees, which is offensive enough, and thank a man, which is not — we, as women, have come a long way. We shouldn’t have to drop to our knees at any point.”
Martina Navratilova also responded, expressing her heartbreak over Moore’s “prejudiced” comments. She went further, suggesting that if Moore remained CEO, female players might boycott the tournament.
“It is really disheartening to see Ray Moore offer the extremely prejudiced and very old-fashioned statements regarding women tennis players. It would be hard to imagine any women wanting to go and play at Indian Wells if Moore stays as the tournament director,” said the 18-time Major champion.
Billie Jean King also weighed in, writing on social media:
“He is wrong on so many levels. Every player, especially the top players, contribute to our success.”
Moore soon resigned as CEO and tournament director of Indian Wells, issuing an apology for his remarks. However, the backlash was swift and the damage had already been done.