3 Oct 2012

Australia Open money boost pleases Djokovic

6:14 am on 3 October 2012

Novak Djokovic has welcomed news that prize money from the Australian tennis Open will rise by almost five million dollars, but the world No.2 is warning that players' fight for a greater share of revenue isn't over yet.

Djokovic described an announcement by the organisers of January's grand slam that the purse would increase to a record $37 million as positive and the Serb urged the other three of tennis's major titles to follow suit.

Following his first-round win at the China Open in Beijing, the 25-year-old three-time winner says the Australian Open organisers have clearly shown understanding for players' demands and what the players had to say, which is really nice to see.

Australian Open organisers boosted prize money on Tuesday following reports in August that players on the ATP Tour, which runs the men's game, were mulling a boycott of the tournament to try to gain a higher percentage of grand slam revenues for themselves.

At issue is the pay of lower-ranked players, who often exit in the first round after making the long journey to Melbourne.

Djokovic says players are still in negotiations behind closed doors with Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.