'Not good enough': Tennis icon's brutal Novak Djokovic reality check
Tennis icon Bille Jean King has taken aim at Novak Djokovic's breakaway player group and claimed the organisation has only stood to back women after being pushed by the community.
Djokovic and Canadian player Vasek Pospisil sent shockwaves through the sport last year when they stepped down from their positions on the ATP player council and started the PTPA on the eve of the US Open.
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They said the PTPA is aimed at better protecting the interests of the players, but the move met staunch opposition from the tennis governing bodies.
The initial breakaway PTPA group didn't involve women, which drew immediate criticism from Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge, British legend Andy Murray and other players.
Now, equal rights advocate and tennis icon King has weighed-in on the controversial group.
King said there is still confusion over what the PTPA is aiming to achieve moving forward.
But she also took a shot at how the PTPA have spun the criticism on the lack of women initially representing the group.
"They only talk about the women if they’re pushed, though," she told The New Yorker.
"That’s not good enough. They’ve got heavy hitters, they’ve got money—Novak Djokovic is definitely going to be the best ever, which is really important.
"But I don’t know how much people want to follow him."
King said moving forward, she didn't see a big push for the group representing the women's game.
The ATP recently vowed to do everything in their power to oppose a push from the Djokovic-led PTPA players union after claiming it would 'divide' tennis.
Novak Djokovic race to be fit for US Open
King did recognise Djokovic's quest in becoming the greatest tennis player of all-time.
Seeking to complete a calendar-year grand slam at Flushing Meadows, the World No.1 said he needed more recovery time after the Tokyo Olympics.
Level with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on the all-time men's record of 20 grand slam titles, Djokovic can become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four majors in one year.
But he appears set to head into the US Open without playing a traditional warmup tournament after also withdrawing from the Toronto hard-court event.
Djokovic lost to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics before going down to Pablo Carreno Busta in the bronze medal match.
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