Things are not going well behind the scenes in the tennis world. Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil have formed a new men’s players association, Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). Women tennis players are not included in the PTPA.
Djokovic also resigned as president of the ATP Player Council before announcing the formation of PTPA. Pospisil and John Isner also resigned from the ATP Player Council.
Djokovic and Pospisil will be the co-presidents of PTPA. PTPA will have a board comprising of nine elected members.
Not everyone is happy with the new organization though. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray are not on board. Other players such as Kevin Anderson have also expressed reservations about the break-away group.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, who is also a former tennis player, asked for unity among the tennis players.
We should not forget that, as an entertainment product, our competition for audiences and long-term growth is with other sports and forms of entertainment. Our battle is not with each other. Now, more than ever is the time for unity and collaboration.
-Andrea Gaudenzi, Executive Chairman, ATP
The grand slam tournaments and the ITF released statements yesterday supporting the ATP.
What does all this mean?
Honestly, no one knows. The details provided by PTPA are vague.
- Will the PTPA engage in collective bargaining like the NBA, NFL, and MLB?
- Will the women players join the PTPA?