Tennis star Dominic Thiem has no interest helping struggling tennis players

Dominic Thiem holds up his runners-up trophy after the 2020 Australian Open final. Photo / Getty

Tennis star Dominic Thiem is reportedly set to refuse to add to a fund to help players outside of the world 250 who have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most sports including tennis have been put on hold as the world attempts to get on top of the pandemic. Wimbledon has been cancelled while the French Open and US Open tournaments remain in doubt.

World number one and 17-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic is president of the ATP player council - and along with fellow greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - has proposed players inside the world 100 each donate money to those ranked No. 250-700 in singles.

"We feel that we all need to get together and help these guys out. Many of them are thinking to leave pro tennis because they just can't survive financially," Djokovic said in a letter to the players.

A sliding scale would see top five players donate $US30,000 each, down to players ranked 51 to 100 donating $US5,000. That would come to a total of more than $US1m with hopes of additional support by the four grand slams and the ATP to make it $US4m.

"Of course, guys like Novak, Roger and Rafa, they're doing just fine," world number 21 John Isner said about the proposal. "But, we all realise that the tour is more than just a hand full of players and that we have to help everyone out."

However, world number three Thiem, who lost to Djokovic in this year's Australian Open and has earned more than $US23m ($NZ38m in prize money, isn't interested in helping out.

Under the proposal, Thiem would give up US$30,000.

"None of the lower-ranked players have to fight for their lives," Thiem told Austria's Krone Sport.

"I've seen players on the ITF-Tour who don't commit to the sport 100 per cent. Many of them are quite unprofessional. I don't see, why I should give them money."

Dominic Thiem balks at notion he should donate to lower-ranked players (per reports, would be suggested ~$30,000).

Thiem made $8 million in prize money alone last year, and $1.7 million already in prize money in just the first two months of 2020.

Plus millions more off-court. https://t.co/VcgIuOjU3A

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) April 26, 2020

26-year-old Thiem is a 16-time winner on the ATP Tour and has made three grand slam finals.