“I’m Not a Big Fan of Having Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in The Player’s Council” – Noah Rubin

The liege lords of tennis, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer rejoined the ATP Player Council after a string of professionals stepped down during Wimbledon 2019. Both of them decided to return to the council and work for the tour. However, American tennis player Noah Rubin believes it was not a wise move to have either of them back in the Player Council.

“Speaking about the player council movement, I’m not a huge fan of it. I know those guys are working hard. But, I’m not a big fan of having Nadal and Federer in the Player’s Council. There are a lot of different ways you have to go about it,” Rubin said in an exclusive interview with the EssentiallySports.

Rubin feels the players ranked outside the Top-100, who don’t really have a ‘platform to speak’, must take up positions in the council. Those players understand the flaws in the professional tour better than the higher-ranked ones.

“You have a guy like Federer and Nadal, you don’t need to be a part of it. Anything they say, they have the platform to speak already. I think we need more guys outside the top 100. Or a guy like myself or someone who really cares about it, to have the impact. Right now, we don’t feel like we have a voice as much as them. Even though the same guys are playing Slams. So that’s been difficult.”

“This is not the right place for you guys” – Noah Rubin on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Besides tennis and training sessions, top-players are pre-occupied with commitments beyond the courts. They do not really have the time to analyze the loopholes in the tour and problems persisting with the players. Thus, it’s advisable to hand the responsibility over to others.

“I don’t think, Federer and Nadal are up for what it really takes to be the member of the council, be communicating and open to talk. I know they are very busy, I understand that. But then, don’t sign up for the job, maybe this is not the right place for you guys,” World Number 225 Noah Rubin continued to address his perspective.

He also pointed out that even if Federer simply tweets something out, it would go viral and the tennis bodies take notice and address it. That’s the platform that Roger has, and he doesn’t really have the need to occupy a position on the ATP Player Council. 

“So, you can do it on your own time. Federer can literally tweet out something, it’s going to be caught by the whole tennis community. So, there’s really no need, he calls the Player’s Council and anybody is going to pick up Federer. So, that’s not an issue. I think, him taking one of the spots is a problem as well,” Rubin concluded.