World No.1 Novak Djokovic has hit back at suggestions that men’s tennis has a problem with favoritism after a former player recently accused Roger Federer benefiting from bias at the Australian Open.
Julien Benneteau, who peaked at a high of 25th in the world back in 2014, said during a recent interview that the 20-time grand slam champion receives preferential treatment at the Melbourne major. Citing Federer’s business partnership with tournament director Craig Tiley. They are both involved in the development of the Laver Cup, which the Frenchman claims is a conflict of interest.
“He’s the Australian Open tournament director,” Benneteau told RMC Sport.
“And the man is paid by Roger Federer’s agent for the Laver Cup.
“Over the last two Australian Opens, (Federer) played 14 matches, because he was champion and finalist. And he played 12 or 13 of his 14 matches in the night session.”
Federer, who lost his opening match at the ATP Finals on Sunday, is yet to respond to the accusation. Although questions have been raised about if favoritism is an issue in men’s tennis. Especially when it comes to the quartet of players that have contributed the most to the development of the ATP Tour over the past 20 years. Known as The Big Four, the quartet is made up of Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray.
“In a way, we have to be more specific. If we’re talking about general, so to say, the advantage of some players over another, I mean, in a way it’s expected that the tournament treats top players, their top stars, as players that they want to have kind of feel the best.” Djokovic responded when asked if favoritism was an issue in tennis.
“In terms of the scheduling, those kinds of important things, everyone is even because it has to go through the filter of ATP, not just the tournament itself.” He added.
Speaking more specifically about the Federer allegation, Djokovic swiftly played down any hype surrounding it. Focusing on his record in the sport. The 37-year-old has won 99 ATP titles, which is the second highest tally in the history of men’s tennis. Federer has also won more grand slam trophies in singles than any other man.
“I really don’t see a very strong argument there.” Said Djokovic. “I understand Julien’s point because sometimes it does seem that maybe certain players get more favored year after year in certain tournaments. You kind of have to follow the pattern to really understand whether there is a case or not.”
“On the other side, you have to understand that also Federer is a driving force of tennis in terms of revenue, in terms of attention, in terms of all these different things.”
Similar to Djokovic, American No.1 John Isner shares a similar mentality when questioned about the subject. Going further by saying the elite of the sport deserves more treatment for what they have done for the promotion of the sport. For example, Federer’s endorsements have been valued at $65 million over a 12-month period, according to Forbes Magazine.
“The top players, they sell the most tickets, therefore, they should get the most. That’s what I think.” Said Isner. “I don’t think there’s a favoritism system like that at all. I think those guys are the ones that by and large carry our sport in a big way and they deserve everything they’ve ever earned.”
“If anything, they may be should get more special treatment because those guys, the top players, have made other players below them a lot of money. It is like the Tiger Woods effect in golf.”
The big four in tennis have won 53 grand slam titles since the 2003 Wimbledon Championships.
At the ATP Finals, Djokovic will next play Alexander Zverev on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Isner takes on Marin Cilic.
