New player representatives - Djokovic, Isner, Pospisil leave the ATP Players' Council
A bang before the start of the US Open 2020. As the New York Times reports, Chairman Novak Djokovic as well as Vasek Pospisil and John Isner have left the ATP Players' Council to set up their own lobby group.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Aug 29, 2020, 08:51 am
Novak Djokovic waived a post-match interview on Friday after his three-set win against Roberto Bautista Agut on the advice of the doctors. There would have been so much to talk about. First of all, an assessment of Naomi Osaka's engagement against police violence would certainly have been interesting. In addition, Djokovic has apparently been working very diligently in the background in the past few weeks to put the representation of player interests in world tennis on a new footing.
According to the New York Times, Djokovic has resigned from his position as president of the players' council, as has Vasek Pospisil, who represents the interests of the players who are classified between ranks 51 to 100. John Isner is also said to have taken this step. The reason for this should be the lack of influence of the players on the decisions of the ATP, which also represents the agendas of the tournament organizers.
Djokovic does not want to replace the ATP - but wants to help the players better
According to the New York Times, the new organization will be called the "Professional Tennis Players Association". A document with which Djokovic, Pospisil and Co. recruited members among their colleagues was leaked to the renowned newspaper. Among other things, it says: "The goal of the PTPA is not to replace the ATP." But they want to better perceive the needs and concerns of the players.
Noticeable: The PTPA is now exclusively aimed at male professionals: single players up to 500th place, double players up to 200th position. The idea formulated by Roger Federer at the beginning of the Corona break to merge the ATP and the WTA seems to be dated Table. Federer and Rafael Nadal , also members of the ATP Players' Council, are absent from New York for various reasons.