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A potentially explosive tennis civil war is brewing, with Novak Djokovic on the one hand and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the other.
Because Novak Djokovic leads an anti-establishment agenda designed to shake up the sport, this is not the first time tennis has threatened to go to war with him this year.
This week, the world’s No. 1 Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) faced new challenges as he and his colleagues once again tried to put more demands on the governing body ATP.
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Last year, several players on the ATP Players Committee withdrew and revealed that they planned to form a breakaway group to act for the players’ interests. Some of them believed that they were vacant and exploited.
The purpose is to form a player union that can negotiate bonuses and other issues with the tournament, rather than relying on ATP to negotiate.
Vasek Pospisil was one of the first players to form an alliance with Djokovic and PTPA. Political disagreements are back in the headlines Earlier this year, because the Canadian was full of dirty words in the Miami Open against ATP Chairman Andre Gordonzi.
How did it respond?
Pospisil has received a lot of support from other players, many of whom sympathize with his frustration with their political climate.
Dennis Shapovalov, Ivo Karlovic, John Isner, and Milos Raonic all focused their attention behind Pospisil.
However, not everyone is on board.
last year Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are both members of the ATP Players Committee. They fully support the governing body-condemning Djokovic and his resistance, Said the sport needs to be united during the difficult times caused by the global pandemic.
“The world is in a difficult and complicated situation. Personally, I think it’s time to stay calm and let us all work in the same direction. Now is the time for unity, not separation,” Nadal said in August last year. .
“As long as the tennis world is united, great things can be achieved at these moments.
“All of us, the players, the tournament and the governing body must work together. We have a bigger problem. Separation and division are definitely not the solution.”
Federer expressed his support for Nadal on Twitter: “I agree with @RafaelNadal. This is an era of uncertainty and challenges, but I believe that as players and sports, we must unite as one for the best. The road paves the way.”
But after Pospisil reignited the debate, Federer remained silent on lingering political tensions and chose not to comment publicly on the matter.
However, it is clear that the Swiss masters and Nadal-who remained on the ATP Players Committee after Djokovic’s withdrawal-have a very different view of the state of the sport than the Serbian champions.
What was the original problem?
As recently as April, the biggest problem with PTPA was that it did not have a clear and coherent strategy.
Tennis experts may have been supporting this move to ensure that players’ rights are protected, but the casual way Djokovic and his company vent their dissatisfaction has made everyone more confused than open-minded.
“We haven’t seen a detailed, comprehensive list of issues and what they hope to achieve. We now have only one label — this is the only development,” broadcaster Catherine Whitaker told the Tennis Podcast in April.
“Let us hear the details of these concerns and the evidence supporting it.
“Let us hear the case.”
This is the resonance of many people in the tennis world, and some players have also heard their concerns. Both Daniel Taro of Japan and Ryan Harrison of the United States tried to clarify the intentions of the PTPA, but there is still no unified approach.
It is good for individuals to make personal statements on their social media pages, but this does not change the notion that PTPA is an unorganized thug.
‘Unfathomable’: What has changed and why are we talking about this again?
This week, PTPA launched its own website, advisory committee and professional communication team support to help use its information.
As a formal organization, its first action was to issue a statement outlining its complaints about ATP—especially its 30-year strategic plan.
“The plan is very vague on key issues, including but not limited to a full understanding of how it will affect income, health benefits, bonuses, player image rights and tournament commitments for the next 30 years,” PTPA said.
“It seems that the ATP seeks to profit from the player’s image and retains the’control of data rights’ in order to obtain income from the’gaming and non-gaming market’. We have an opinion on how the ATP plans to handle player data and who owns the data Serious doubt.
“This plan may jeopardize each player’s ability to build a personal brand and freely use their own name, image and likeness in the next 30 years.”
The PTPA statement ended with a series of questions, and it hopes that the ATP will answer before asking players to vote on the implementation of its strategic plan. They include:
— Grant ATP the right to mine and monetize their data, what benefits can players get?
— Did the players share the added value of ATP Media?
— Do players share the added value of the tournament?
— What additional benefits (health insurance, pension) will the players get?
Djokovic himself issued a statement, reiterating that PTPA hopes that ATP will postpone voting on the strategic plan.
He wrote: “It is incredible that the ATP will vote in the week of June 27, 2021. At that time they have not yet finalized many elements of the deal that may affect the health of players and the ability to earn a fair wage.”
“Thirty years is a long period of time, which will have a lasting and far-reaching impact on current and future generations of players. We only need transparency and answers to important questions.”
On Saturday (AEST), Djokovic and Pospisir also spoke to reporters at a lengthy press conference together with Executive Director Adam Larry-this is the first time as a unified PTPA.
Here, the PTPA’s criticism of the ATP’s management of tennis has doubled, but it is also keen to make it clear that it wants to cooperate with the ATP instead of opposing it to ensure that the players’ interests are taken care of.
“We want to be accepted, respected and recognized,” Djokovic said. “This is what we want. This is what we deserve as players.
“When I say’we’, I don’t just think and say it’s about Vasek and myself or PTPA management. It’s about players and hundreds of players who are part of the PTPA sport and the PTPA program.
“This is our goal-until certain things are completed and certain steps are taken, we will never know how PTPA will or will not be included in the current tennis ecosystem, structure.”
Larry added: “We think there are a lot of things in the plan that are meaningful, but there are a lot of things in the plan that we don’t know,” he said. “We have said this many times, and we know very well that if we don’t have an answer, how could such a plan be voted through?”
Response: Delineation of the battle line
PTPA’s latest measures are not in line with the ATP, and the ATP issued a strongly worded warning in response to the destruction of tennis.
It mentioned the ATP Players Committee, “Its representatives are democratically elected by all players, and they work every week and every week to promote the interests of the players.”
“Since its establishment as a Players Association in 1972, protecting and promoting the interests of players has been a core principle of the ATP,” the ATP wrote.
“The creation of a single player entity provides a clear overlap, divides the players, and further divides the sport. Leading experts inside and outside sports have always viewed fragmentation as the greatest threat to the growth potential of tennis.
“The ATP will continue to do everything it can to protect the interests of its members, including the interests of players and tournaments, as well as the many livelihoods supported by the tour.”
Obviously, the battle line has been drawn.
But PTPA has also received support from other sports. Standing with Djokovic and his partners, the Major League Baseball Players Association said: “Major League Baseball supports the efforts of the Professional Tennis Players Association to organize and improve the working conditions of the players.
“Collective bargaining is a powerful tool when it promises to improve workplace conditions and have a positive impact on members’ economic resources.”
The National Hockey League Players Association and the Major League Soccer Players Association also expressed support for PTPA.
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