Seat at the Table
At ATP Tour meetings later this week just prior to the start of Wimbledon, it appears that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will join the ATP Player Council. In the past, a few top players have become involved with the politics and running of the pro tennis tour. However, it would be rather unusual for all three of the top men to simultaneously be on the player council. It is an indication about not only the current state of the ATP Tour (e.g., there are a lot of rumblings about the planned
2009 tournament calendar and a lawsuit in a Delaware court by the ATP Hamburg tournament against the ATP Tour), as well as the fact that the top players are no longer willing to sit on the sidelines regarding their futures which are directly affected by the structure of the tournament calendar. Compared to other sports, the ATP Tour structure is unusual in that the ATP acts as both the players’ association, as well as the overseer of the tournaments and liaison with tournament directors. Perhaps this move by the top players in men’s tennis signals the start of a movement…
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