Djokovic: Why PTPA Must Live

By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Lacking two of the 4 Grand Slams in 2022 infuses Novak Djokovic with a number of main ambition this season.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion is chasing historical past and aiming to reform the game.

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The highest-seeded Serbian swept Frenchman Fixed Lestienne 6-3, 6-2 in a pointy Adelaide Worldwide opener.

It got here after Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil dropped a three-set doubles match.

Off court docket, Djokovic says their partnership is making progress. The pair based The Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation with the purpose of giving professional gamers whole illustration.

Djokovic says regardless of the actual fact the PTPA “weren’t accepted” by the ATP, WTA and Grand Slams, the group is gaining traction and monetary backing and “must dwell.”

“I believe there’s numerous authorized challenges alongside the way in which,” Djokovic informed the media in Adelaide. “We managed to beat all these challenges, and we’re gathering the appropriate crew of individuals with advisory board, folks which are going to assist with financing the affiliation, after all folks from the tennis world that can assist us set up ourselves throughout the ecosystem, which I believe is essential as we weren’t accepted and embraced by Grand Slams, ATP nor WTA, so it makes issues tough for us, however this affiliation must dwell.”

The PTPA is significant as a result of it is solely dedicated to giving gamers a voice within the decision-making course of that impacts the game, Djokovic stated.

“It must be there as a result of gamers haven’t got one hundred pc illustration within the tennis world, sadly,” Djokovic stated. “With the affiliation they’ve that. Hopefully extra gamers will likely be exhibiting the willingness to grasp what PTPA can do for them.

“It is a course of that can take an extended time simply because we’re not getting credibility from different governing our bodies, so it can take longer, however we’ll keep there, and it is one thing that hopefully can keep for a lot of a long time to return.”

Whereas the PTPA does have the help of a number of star gamers it doesn’t have a voice that is acknowledged by the sport’s governing our bodies.

Final spring, Djokovic criticized the ATP for shutting the PTPA out of conferences in regards to the ongoing imbroglio between the ATP and WTA Excursions and Wimbledon over the grass-court Grand Slam’s determination to ban Russian and Belarusian gamers.

That ban was Wimbledon’s condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine and prompted the ATP and WTA Excursions to strip Wimbledon of rating factors—a choice opposed by Djokovic and the PTPA.

That disconnect compelled Djokovic, who’s pleasant with ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi, to model the ATP damaged and cost it “has failed gamers so many occasions.”

Briefly, the PTPA desires a seat on the decision-making desk and the ATP has proven the group the door. Djokovic charged the Tour continues to mute the voices of gamers and factors to lack of wide-spread session with gamers earlier than its Wimbledon determination as a main instance.

“It is the council of ATP that’s throughout the construction, this representing physique of gamers, and that is the way it’s been for many years,” Djokovic stated earlier than Wimbledon. “I do not suppose that is the most effective system that we’ve got. I simply suppose the system has failed gamers so many occasions, so many occasions, and that is the rationale why PTPA must exist, as a result of when it comes right down to this sort of huge selections, , numerous the gamers’ voices are usually not heard sufficient.

“Sadly, , inside ATP you might have 50/50 % of illustration between gamers and tournaments. So you might be by no means going to have one hundred pc gamers’ curiosity in place.”

Picture credit score: Sue McKay/Getty