‘Tennis Needs Unity’ – ATP Chairman Not in Favour of Novak Djokovic’s PTPA

Since the start of the year, former World. No. 1 Novak Djokovic has been in news for his firm stand on his vaccination status. However, another thing that has had in equal focus is Djokovic’s creation, Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). Officially announced in 2020 at the US Open, PTPA was started by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil. The organisation was formed with an aim to protect and present the voices of the players.

The PTPA takes into the top 500 singles players and top 200 doubles players. However, even after PTPA’s constant claim of not interfering in ATP’s work; the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has been of the view that PTPA’s presence threatens the unity of the game. Recently, the current chairman of ATP, Andrea Gaudenzi, expressed his thoughts on Novak Djokovic’s creation Professional Tennis Players Association.

Andrea Gaudenzi gave an interview to sports website SPOX. In the interview, Andrea spoke on a variety of topics ranging from his tenure so far and his future plans for ATP to the ongoing investigation into Alexander Zverev’s misconduct at the ATP Acapulco Open. However, what took the limelight was his take on the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).

Chairman Gaudenzi on Djokovic’s PTPA

Gaudenzi, who was also a professional player himself, gave his thoughts on the creation of PTPA. He said, “I have always made it clear that tennis needs unity and unity, not fragmentation. That is simply the greatest source of inefficiency and the key to unleashing the full potential of our sport is to resolve this condition.”

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Tennis, for a long time, has been a loved sport around the globe. Over the years, the sport has experienced an immense amount of growth. There has been a marked increase in viewership, followership, as well as inclination of youngsters towards the game. Having a similar ideology, Andrea asserted his wish to see sport thriving and prompted a healthy ecosystem for the players. “Our approaches may be different, but we will do everything we can to ensure tennis thrives and we support a healthy ecosystem for our players.”

Highlighting the effort to achieve a healthy ecosystem, the chairman appealed for a single roof structure, to ensure the smooth and healthy functioning of the sport. “We remain committed to our vision of how best to achieve this. And the best way to achieve it is with a united front under one roof a partnership structure of the ATP tour.”

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Even though he has been of the view that only a single governing entity should prevail, the former World No. 18 avoided rigidness and instead claimed of being open to dialogue.

Novak Djokovic on the tour

On the tennis front, 2022 has not been a good season for Novak Djokovic to date. The Serbian failed to defend his Australian Open crown in Melbourne following his deportation tale. Starting his year at the ATP 500 Dubai, he not only lost in the quarter-finals but also gave away the top spot in the ATP rankings to Daniil Medvedev. After a slow start to the year, Djokovic is eyeing a comeback at the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells, where he will be aiming for the 6th title.