March to the beat of your own drum, The Serb and The Canadian did exactly that. Both Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil believed that the players weren’t represented well enough. They were not happy with ATP. They felt the whole system had flaws there and nothing was for the players. The duo then took a bold step amid the turmoil the world was facing during the global crisis in 2020. Did they get any support from other players?

Well, the support has been widespread since the PTPA’s launch. Though some of them went against the timing of its launching, most of the current & former players supported it. Initially, there weren’t any women players but later on, even the WTA players were also welcomed. One of such players who took up the role of ambassador for the PTPA is former Cypriot tennis player, Marcos Baghdatis. Here’s what he says about his journey with the Professional Tennis Players Association.

Baghdatis shares his experience on the ‘Rebel’ Tennis Association of Novak Djokovic

The Cypriot who played the final of the Australian Open in 2006 was brought in to enhance player engagement through various modes. To represent the players and make their voices heard at a bigger stage in what the Association looks for. Having retired from tennis in 2019, Baghdatis grabbed the opportunity with both hands and committed to work for the best interest of the players and the sport. When he was asked in an interview about his learnings from this journey here’s what he said.

“I learned the reality. Sometimes the reality hurts, you know it hurts, it hurts for the players. When you know, when you see the reality when you see what’s going on and you understand it. Then I mean, there’s no way you don’t want to do anything about it. You want to help.”

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“And again, I said it’s maybe not about this generation, maybe not now but it’s for the tennis. For the sport, it’s for the future generation and maybe our grandchildren will play tennis. You know it’s for everybody you know, and I think it’s so important.” Baghdatis said.

He then went on to add, “You know, me personally it was so nice to see some of the players so into it. After asking questions the reaction from the players was superb. So it was nice to see.” Baghdatis had already represented Cyprus on the maps of the tennis world on a higher level. Now he looks forward to representing the players around the globe on a bigger stage. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic has always been very vocal about the rights. He has always stood his ground in times of making bold decisions. But what is the actual purpose of such an association?

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Two roads diverged and Djokovic couldn’t travel both

PTPA once said in a documentary that it had no intention to replace the ATP but to work for the better interest of players. To unite the players from around the world and to make free and fair decisions with utmost transparency is its sole motive. It pledges to create an environment in which there would be no inequality. The group now represents the top 500 players in singles and the top 200 in doubles of ATP rankings. PTPA has grown day by day but did it deliver what it pledged for? That remains a big question mark.

It was formed just before US Open 2020 and the former ATP Player Council president and its members are the central figures of it. PTPA hasn’t risen to its full potential yet. With days to come and the addition of Kim Clijsters and Sania Mirza, the Association hopes to bring more players under its wings. These are early days and running such a big association isn’t a cakewalk.

All tennis lovers now hope for the best outcome for both players and the sport. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this association will bridge the gap between players and officials?

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