It started with virtually no fanfare.
Earlier than play bought underway on the spectator-less, pandemic-restricted 2020 US Open, No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic and fellow ATP participant Vasek Pospisil introduced the creation of the Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation (PTPA), first with a letter to their ATP friends, after which with a photograph, posted by Pospisil to social media, that includes a number of dozens of gamers who supported the initiative.
After right now’s profitable assembly, we’re excited to announce the start of the Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation (PTPA). The primary participant solely affiliation in tennis since 1972. #PTPA pic.twitter.com/070TRKZ4xG
— Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) August 29, 2020
The group was not a union, as gamers are impartial contractors and never ATP staff, however its central mission to “promote, shield and signify the pursuits of its gamers” made it appear just like one.
Few different particulars had been offered on the time, and the dearth of involvement from ladies gamers drew strong and swift criticism. Finally, the announcement left extra questions than solutions in regards to the PTPA.
However three years later, Djokovic and Pospisil are prouder than ever of the state of their once-fledgling group.
“The PTPA is unquestionably making big strides,” Djokovic informed ESPN in an interview final month. “And we’re ensuring that the gamers’ voices and wishes are heard. … I imply for me personally, understanding that there is now a critical crew of individuals in our affiliation working day and evening tirelessly to construct this affiliation, [to] ensure that gamers have a greater livelihood from tennis, is one thing that relaxes me. … And I feel the longer term is brilliant.”
The group now has a full-time workers of 12, and employed Ahmad Nassar, the previous president of NFL Gamers Inc., as the brand new govt director in August 2022. The crew focuses on a variety of points gamers face every day, together with advocating for a unique pay construction, offering help with understanding and interesting varied fines, and serving to with the endless journey points that regularly come up in a worldwide sport.
So the place precisely do issues stand with the PTPA three years after its creation?
To get to that, one should begin at the start. Djokovic and Pospisil admit their rollout was removed from excellent and they’d do some issues in another way if given the prospect.
“Clearly the picture,” Pospisil informed ESPN. “It was by no means going to be simply males. From Day 1 the plan was to at all times embody ladies. Really, the primary individual I ever spoke to about this complete undertaking, again in 2019, was Sloane Stephens as a result of I actually wanted a counterpart on the ladies’s aspect to assist recruit. And so it actually was a bit upsetting as a result of I noticed how the institution that actually didn’t need us to succeed now had this ammunition.”
Pospisil mentioned they’d prematurely rushed the general public announcement of the PTPA as a result of they’d been knowledgeable of some participant mistreatment and felt the time was proper. However, whether or not intentional or not, the hasty choice began the group on the defensive. Some gamers, together with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and others on the ATP participant council, in addition to eventual 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem, outright questioned the necessity for the group.
“I like what the ATP does,” Thiem mentioned in November of that 12 months. “General, it [does] an excellent job. So from my perspective there isn’t any want to hitch another group or something like that.”
Whereas skilled crew sport leagues such because the NBA, WNBA and NFL have well-established participant unions representing their collective greatest pursuits, it is extra sophisticated for particular person sports activities, particularly one like tennis, which has a number of stakeholders with differing, and sometimes opposing, goals. Along with the ATP and the WTA, the ITF and all 4 of the Grand Slams have a say and a vested curiosity within the sport. In response to Pospisil, Djokovic and others affiliated with the PTPA, that divided panorama has made their group a menace to the established order.
“Tennis has an unimaginable custom and we’re very pleased with it,” Djokovic mentioned. “However can we be at a greater place collectively? Completely. We have now future potential and gamers are a really integral a part of it. And with out gamers there is no present. And we have been attempting to clearly place ourselves within the ecosystem in such a means that may give extra energy and extra illustration to the gamers.”
Whereas their preliminary two years noticed restricted outward progress, Pospisil mentioned they had been working diligently behind the scenes, growing an infrastructure and crew to deliver the group’s imaginative and prescient to mild and recruiting gamers to get entangled. There isn’t any formal membership, nor are there dues or bylaws to signal, however Pospisil informed ESPN in a earlier interview he has personally spoken with “300 to 400 gamers” in regards to the group, and Djokovic mentioned there are “a few hundred gamers on board.”
And issues have began to maneuver rapidly for the group for the reason that hiring of Nassar, in line with Pospisil and Djokovic. The group has elevated its outreach, internet hosting occasions in any respect 4 Grand Slams, in addition to smaller tournaments reminiscent of Indian Wells. The PTPA has additionally created devoted technique of communication, together with staffing a WhatsApp channel in a number of languages, to assist gamers with what issues most to them.
Nassar estimated the PTPA hears from “nicely over 100” gamers throughout majors. Many gamers, he mentioned, do not know the place else to show once they need assistance. Whereas the gamers attain out a couple of vary of points, from complaints about event accommodations to considerations about match scheduling, one query that has come up as of late is with reference to drug testing and what occurs if one has a optimistic take a look at.
“Not solely do gamers not absolutely perceive the method of what is subsequent, however it’s not completely clear there even is a proper course of,” Nassar mentioned.
The PTPA made advocating for a “honest anti-doping program” a part of its core principles and included the necessity for due course of and “entry to a transparent and constant appeals system.”
When it was introduced final week that two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep would obtain a four-year suspension for utilizing a banned substance, the group released a statement saying, “We staunchly assist and shield gamers’ rights in all situations. That features exercising their due course of and appellate rights in anti-doping circumstances. The repeated and unexplained delays in Simona Halep’s case are each unfair and unacceptable.” It went on to say, “The PTPA is absolutely dedicated to supporting her in any future appeals, in addition to all gamers who require help.”
In January of this 12 months, the group introduced an eight-player govt committee, made up of 4 ATP gamers (together with Djokovic and Pospisil) and 4 WTA gamers. For Ons Jabeur, a three-time main finalist and present world No. 7, it was an apparent choice to hitch.
“Earlier than, if I talked, no person would hear as a result of I wasn’t within the prime 10 and I wasn’t a prime participant, however now they hear,” Jabeur informed ESPN. “Now they’d [care about] my opinion. I really feel prefer it’s flawed to solely hearken to the highest gamers, however for me, I really feel like I have to make a distinction proper now. I want to talk up for each girl about what’s flawed and what could possibly be higher.”
One of many group’s greatest complaints from the beginning has been in regards to the pay construction in tennis. Whereas these contending for titles, particularly at majors, are making tens of millions of {dollars} — Djokovic has remodeled $10 million in 2023 thus far — many are struggling to get by financially. Pospisil, who was injured for a portion of the 12 months, has made $168,000 — which comes out to considerably much less after bills are paid for issues like journey, lodging and training.
For Djokovic, regardless of his success, the combat is private.
“I used to be of their sneakers, I perceive the wrestle,” Djokovic mentioned. “I perceive the difficulties of paying the prices for journey if you do not have the backing of a robust federation, which 90% or much more of the gamers around the globe haven’t got, and never having the funds to pay for coaches and physiotherapists. Coming from Serbia, I did not have any of that.
“And now I’ve affect, I’ve energy, and I wish to combat for higher circumstances. We speak a lot about how a lot cash the US Open winners make however we aren’t speaking about what number of gamers, each women and men, singles, doubles, all collectively, professionals stay from this sport. It is lower than 400 [players] max for a sport that’s tremendous international after which it is one of many most-watched sports activities on the planet. That is poor. That is a failure for our sport.”
In August, the ATP revealed a brand new initiative, known as “Baseline,” that ensures a minimal revenue for the highest 250-ranked males’s singles gamers each season. Beginning in 2024, if a participant’s earnings fall underneath the acknowledged quantity on the finish of the 12 months, the ATP will cowl the distinction. For these within the prime 100, the quantity is $300,000 and fewer for these ranked exterior of it. Whereas Nassar mentioned he did not consider this system went far sufficient, he felt inspired by it, and believed the PTPA was a minimum of partially accountable for it.
“Individuals prefer to say that daylight is the very best disinfectant,” Nassar mentioned shortly after Baseline was introduced. “I might say exterior, impartial stress is sweet. I feel that is hopefully the primary of many indicators that we’re actually pushing the institution to do extra and do higher.”
Utilizing his expertise working with the NFL Gamers Inc., the licensing and advertising arm of the NFL Gamers Affiliation, Nassar created an analogous for-profit division for the PTPA. Often called “Winners Alliance,” round 300 gamers have signed on for passive revenue alternatives. The group signed a buying and selling card cope with Fanatics and Topps in March, and the transfer even generated some curiosity amongst earlier naysayers, in line with Nassar.
“I feel individuals went rapidly from, ‘That can by no means work in tennis’ to ‘The place do I join? How did you try this?'”
However there nonetheless are loads of detractors of the PTPA. In a recent interview with Forbes, ATP govt chairman Andrea Gaudenzi mentioned he “had sympathy” for what the group was attempting to attain however finally discovered it divisive.
“Creating an affiliation, I do not suppose it is unhealthy in itself, however it’s simply to create much more fragmentation,” Gaudenzi mentioned. “It is extra seats on the desk. Whereas in actuality, for my part, we have now to have much less seats on the desk and converge into any person that thinks for the curiosity of the game.”
These concerned with the PTPA disagree with Gaudenzi’s evaluation, however the criticism is nothing that they have not heard earlier than. When requested what he would say to somebody who remained against the group, Nassar pointed to the industrial partnerships the group had acquired, along with the formal principles they’ve established and the assist they have been capable of present particular person gamers throughout occasions of want.
Jabeur mentioned the group’s affect was clear by the rising variety of gamers merely “talking up and having the braveness to speak about issues they are not blissful about and need modified.”
Pospisil, the co-founder, was adamant that is merely the start — calling their achievements “constructing blocks for the longer term” — however was pleased with what the group had carried out thus far. To Djokovic, the criticism is simply proof that the PTPA’s calls for and grievances are being heard. And for him, the PTPA and what the group is attempting to perform is likely to be simply as vital because the record-making twenty fourth main title he received this month on the US Open. He believes it is as central as something to his story.
“I wish to depart a legacy on and off the court docket,” Djokovic mentioned. “I might love my friends, my colleagues, to recollect me as somebody who had a variety of success in tennis, however did not solely take into consideration himself, but in addition considered different gamers and ensuring that whereas he is on the prime of the sport, that he is utilizing his affect, he is utilizing his standing and his profile and his contacts to create a greater ecosystem for gamers and usually only for the game.”