Novak Djokovic has been an unstoppable force on the tennis court in 2020 but he is facing high-profile opposition to his formation of the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA).
Djokovic, the world No. 1 from Serbia, extended his winning streak to 23 matches by coming back from a set down to beat Milos Raonic 1-6 6-3 6-4 in the final of the Western & Southern Open and became the first man to win every Masters 1000 event twice in the process.
Given his imperious form there is a strong chance he will win an 18th Grand Slam title in the next fortnight but silverware is not the only thing on his mind in New York.
Djokovic and Canada’s Vasek Pospisil have been the driving forces behind the PTPA and, along with John Isner, have stepped down from their positions on the ATP player council.
Male players have been asked to sign a document in support of their organisation, which vows to ‘provide players with a self-governance structure’ outside of the ATP – which has a symbiotic structure for tournaments and players.
Pospisil posted a picture of more than 50 players, including Djokovic, on court to confirm the formation of the group.
He said: ‘The PTPA did not emerge to be combative, to disrupt or to cause any issues within or outside the tennis tour. Simply to unify the players, have our voices heard and have an impact on decisions being made that effect our lives and livelihoods.’
While there clearly is significant support, Djokovic and co. have not got some key players on board.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Djokovic’s great rivals who are also on the ATP player council, both publicly expressed their opposition.
Nadal tweeted: ‘The world is living in a difficult and complicated situation. I personally believe these are times to be calm and work all of us together in the same direction. It is time for unity, not for separation.
‘These are moments where big things can be achieved as long as the world of tennis is united. We all, players, tournaments and governing bodies have to work together. We have a bigger problem and separation and disunion is definitely not the solution.’
Federer replied: ‘I agree. These are uncertain and challenging times, but I believe it’s critical for us to stand united as players, and as a sport, to pave the best way forward.’
The pair also signed a letter from the remaining members of the ATP player council, which says they ‘do not endorse the formation of a new player association’.
The breakaway group has been a long time coming. Djokovic has been pushing for an independent players’ union for several years and was a driving force behind the ousting of former ATP president Chris Kermode.
Kermode’s replacement, Andrea Gaudenzi, appealed to the players this weekend to stick within the current structure.
‘You have what other athletes in other sports would strive for – a seat at the boardroom table,’ Gaudenzi wrote in a letter to the wider player body. ‘It makes no sense why you would be better served by shifting your role from the inside to the outside of the governance structure.’
Tennis’ seven governing bodies – the ATP, WTA, ITF and four Grand Slams – released a joint statement calling for ‘greater collaboration, not division’.
One glaring omission from the PTPA is the inclusion of their female counterparts.
A year ago, Pospisil was holding conversations with WTA players, including council member and British No. 1 Johanna Konta, with an aim to collectively lobby the Slams for more money but, for the time being at least, the group is made up of only male players.
That point was raised by Andy Murray as he explained why he is not currently opting in.
‘I won’t be signing it today,’ Murray said. ‘I’m not totally against a player union, or players’ association, but right now there’s a couple of things: one is I feel like the current management should be given some time to implement their vision. Whether that works out or not would potentially influence me in the future as to which way I would go.
‘Also, the fact that the women aren’t part of [the new plans]. I feel like that would send a significantly much more powerful message, if the WTA were on board as well. That’s not currently the case. If those things changed in the future, it’s something that I would certainly consider.’
His compatriot Dan Evans was more blunt in his assessment.
He said: ‘I’ve received the emails on the player union. Now is horrible timing to be talking about that sort of thing.
‘For what it’s worth, I think the ATP do a great job for us and I won’t be signing the sheet of paper they want.
‘I actually had a conversation yesterday with someone in the changing room and it wasn’t taken very well. Those people who support the union are set on it and are quite passive-aggressive.
‘It is all about having a vote but if you don’t like it, it doesn’t seem that they like you very much.’
Discussing his plans on Saturday, Djokovic was quick to point out that this is ‘not a union’ but defended the formation of the group – comparing the timing of its creation to having a child.
‘This is not a union. This is player association,’ said Djokovic. ‘So we are not calling for boycotts. We are not forming parallel tours.
‘Of course I would love to have Roger and Rafa on board. Of course I would love to have all the players on board. But I understand. I truly understand that, you know, some of them have different opinions and they don’t think the time is right.
‘Again, I think the time is right. The time is always right, you know. It’s like having a baby. The time is never right or it’s always right. I mean, as I said at the beginning, this is a project that is ongoing for more than 20 years.
‘Lots of players attempted to do what we’re attempting to do right now and hoping we can make that first step and create memberships and create structure and create leadership and create a system.’
Djokovic’s insistence that there will be no boycotts begs the question of what power this group will actually be able to wield.
Without threatening collective player action, will they really be able to force the tournaments to cough up more money? Will the tournaments even engage with them?
These questions were posed by Nadal, Federer and the four other remaining players on the council – Kevin Anderson, Jurgen Melzer, Sam Querrey and Bruno Soares – who concluded ‘we do not see how this actually benefits the players and it puts our lives on tour and security in major doubt’.
One thing is clear, any plans for striking further down the road would be destined to fail without the biggest stars in the sport on board.
At the moment, while growing in numbers, Djokovic and co. do not have that luxury.
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