“Delay the Vote”: Novak Djokovic Voices PTPA’s Demand for Transparency Against ATP’s 30-Year Plan

Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil’s co-founded Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), which has largely been in the background since its establishment before US Open 2020, is finally on the move. Notably, the players’ voice is trying to delay the voting for the ATP’s proposed 30-year plan until they get complete clarity. 

The Serbian World No.1 also issued a statement on Twitter, explaining the association’s stance. This comes after, ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis, continuously ignored all their previous requests.

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Novak Djokovic explains ‘DelaytheVote’ campaign against ATP’s 30-year plan

Both former ATP Players’ Council Members, Novak and Vasek, realized the lack of choice players have against the authorities. Thus, they co-founded the PTPA as an only players’ body that would run in lines with other governing bodies of the sport.

“We all believe that fairness and transparency throughout professional tennis decision-making will not only benefit the sport, but it will support all players – the ones coming up the ranks and the ones struggling to make a living – not simply the players you see in the headlines. Progress and growth come when we work together to reform the establishment mentality and embrace innovation and collaboration,” Djokovic wrote in his statement.

Furthermore, the PTPA believes that the ATP has not defined its 30-year plan for all the players. Therefore, they must do it as a priority before casting votes.

Djokovic added, “With our mission in mind, we have repeatedly asked the ATP to delay the vote on their 30-year plan until the players understand how it will impact their health, wellness rights (digital and/or otherwise) and their ability to make fair wages.”

In explanation, the Serbian stated that three decades is a long time and demanded answers before anything gets finalized. Since ATP did not respond to any of their requests and is going forward with voting next week, PTPA came up with the ‘DelayTheVote‘ drive.

Also Read: “One Step Closer Toward Our Goal”: Vasek Pospisil and Novak Djokovic Announce Big Changes to PTPA

What are the goals for Novak and Vasek led PTPA?

Tennis reporter Jon Wertheim fronted an analogy of a second serve that PTPA played. He even highlighted how adamant they are about being a trade association and not a group or union. Also, they want to work with the system and not otherwise.

“They would like to see the players get more of a voice, get more revenues, and it sounds like the goals from a union. I have spoken to a number of people involved, and they want to work with the ATP. They are not looking to overthrow the system. But they feel that the player’s voice needs to be amplified, and they are the mechanism for doing so,” Wertheim explained.

He concluded with a clarification that PTPA is for both male and female tennis players. Do you think they will be successful in delaying the vote for ATP’s plans?

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