Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli recently released a statement on the pay gap in tennis. He mentioned Roger Federer being the highest paid athlete in the world and considering the world number 150 cannot earn a living while tennis is closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On the same note, while talking about the limited earnings of lower level players, the French player Gilles Simon hit Federer. He shared the unpaid status of the lower level player “it doesn’t matter to him”.
Gilles Simon criticizes Roger Federer
“I knew Roger would approach the pot when there were discussions about the Grand Slam jackpot some time ago,” Gilles Simon told L’Equipe.
“But the impression I have is that we lost him on the way, that the representation of the players doesn’t matter to him. If there is a voice that carries, it is his. “
In tennis, the jackpot is not evenly distributed. If a player makes a leap into the tournament, he has enough earnings. If they fail to qualify or are eliminated in previous rounds, they return home with little gain.
As a result, lower level players are underpaid and do not have leverage from wealthy sponsors.
Gilles Simon on Novak Djokovic
He also spoke out about Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour debacle. “I tell myself that Novak is trying to tackle complex issues in the interest of players in general. And I was annoyed by this Adria Tour story because, making a big mistake, all this work fell apart, “ He said.
“It is a” multimedia game “that wants it. After the mistakes with Adria Tour, all his work (by Djokovic) is reduced. It is easy to say:” Never listen to it again! “Now for the media”.
Simon meditated further on the media highlighting both the pros and cons of Djokovic, and while Federer only discusses positive aspects.
“I see Djokovic like any human being, with his strengths and weaknesses. But with Roger Federer, we only talk about his strengths. With Novak – only for its shortcomings “
In 2020, Gilles Simon reached the semifinal in Marseille, and before then lost to Nick Kyrgios in the second round of the Australian Open.
