Novak Djokovic aims to change the landscape of professional tennis with his newest initiative. The world No.1 wants to form the players’ union.
According to the Serbian and one of the greatest of all times, the current situation in the tennis world has become inconvenient for all the players on the tour. COVID-19 pandemic exposed all the flaws and weaknesses of the current system, leaving a vast majority of the players without any income and protection.
Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil want to change that. They already sent e-mails to all the players on the tour, revealing their intentions of forming the Professional Tennis Players Association.
Breaking details:
Top men's players, led by Djokovic, Pospisil, are breaking away from ATP to form the Professional Tennis Players Association.
Djokovic, Pospisil, Isner resigning from player council.
From me for @NYTSports, with @christophclarey:https://t.co/BqcK5E46Qr
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 29, 2020
It seems that Novak and Pospisil realized the strength of the players’ unions in the US sports, and want to create something similar in tennis. The letter contained all their goals and solutions for reaching the same, with the duo hoping to receive support from the colleagues.
Right now, the majority of the players are very unsatisfied with the way the current ATP Player Council works. It is the only organization that protects the players and tour members, but its power is insignificant.
Djokovic, who is the president of the same, realized that recently, and despite his efforts to improve the players’ status, the ATP didn’t do much on that subject. One part of his and Pospisil’s letter wrote about that, and the fact that the council doesn’t have any impact on ATP’s decisions. He would also resign from the ATP Tour Player Council.
My ATP Tour Player Council Resignation: pic.twitter.com/NlFziU1797
— Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) August 29, 2020
With the PTPA, the players would have an organization of its own, that would be able to negotiate with the tour and reach better conditions for all. It would also have a financial structure to support lower-ranked players. They would fight for better revenue sharing, different and fairer rules and regulations, as well as securing pensions, insurance, and medical and health care for all the players.
Djokovic’s initiative received support right away. It came from his rival in the Western and Southern Open finals, Milos Raonic. The Canadian will back up Novak’s plan, because he too is very disappointed with the way leading people in tennis responded to the crisis in the past few months.
According to his words, Raonic himself experienced the system’s inefficiency and its flaws once trying to help and change things during the pandemics.
