COVID-19: Djokovic, Federer, Nadal discuss relief fund
During an Instagram chat with Wawrinka, Djokovic said he had a conversation with Federer and Nadal about contributing funds to help lower-ranked players in the circuit.
Published : Apr 18, 2020 22:56 IST
Novak Djokovic says he spoke with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal about working with the ATP to set up a fund to help lower-ranked tennis players financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
During an IG live session he held with three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka on Saturday, Djokovic described what he called “a long conversation” with Federer and Nadal about “how we can contribute and how we can help lower-ranked guys who obviously are struggling the most.”
Djokovic talked about trying to amass somewhere around $3 million to $4.5 million to distribute, perhaps to players ranked from around 200th or 250th to around 700th.
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He said the ATP and “most likely” the Grand Slam tournaments would be involved.
Djokovic also said there would be a system devised to determine which players were most in need of the cash.
The men’s and women’s professional circuits have been shut down for more than a month because of the COVID-19 outbreak and are suspended at least until mid-July.