KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Some of the top players in tennis expressed disgust Tuesday with the comments made by the now-former director of the BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells, with Serena Williams also disagreeing with fellow No. 1 Novak Djokovic on the issue of equal pay.

Raymond Moore, the former chief operating officer and tournament director, resigned late Monday, a day after telling reporters that female players should be thankful to their male counterparts “because they ride on the coattails of the men.”

“If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport,” he added. Moore later apologized, but stepped down 24 hours later.

Players, both men and women, quickly denounced the comments and that continued Tuesday at the Miami Open. But there was also concern raised about comments Djokovic made suggesting the men should seek more money because their matches tend to attract more spectators.

“I think that our men’s tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more, because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men’s tennis matches,” Djokovic said earlier this week. “I think that’s one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more.”

Williams disagreed when asked about the comments.

“If I have a daughter and she plays tennis, and I have a son who plays tennis, I wouldn’t say that my son deserves more money because he’s a man,” she said. “I would say they deserve the same amount of money.”