Novak Djokovic has turned shop steward in a row over prize money that has divided players and officials at the Australian Open.

On Friday night, the annual men’s player meeting in the build-up to the year’s first grand slam came to a premature close when Djokovic took the stage and asked for all those present who were not players – which meant staff from the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and Tennis Australia – to leave the room.

Djokovic – whose intervention took almost everyone by surprise – then invited a union lawyer onto the stage and argued that the male players should form their own union, separate from the ATP, which is constituted of equal parts players and tournaments.

The underlying reason for this move, Djokovic suggested, is that the players are not getting a fair deal from their events. The grand slams only pay out around seven per cent of their income, whereas the equivalent figure in American basketball – which was cited as a point of comparison in the meeting – is around 50 per cent.

By forming a union of their own, Djokovic’s argument went, he and his allies would be able to push more effectively for pay rises. It is understood that Andy Murray, who attended the meeting despite his recent hip surgery, is supportive of the principle that players should be better paid. Roger Federer, however, is believed to favour the status quo in which one body – the ATP – represents the main interests of men’s tennis.