ATP

The ‘Players Voice’ Movement And Tennis’ Not So United Front

Not even the COVID-19 pandemic could halt the war of words being exchanged behind the scenes in tennis.

Published

2 years ago

28/03/2021

Adam Addicott

Vasek Pospisil, co-founder of the PTPA (image via twitter.com)

In his opening match at the Miami Open Vasek Pospisil was penalised by the umpire for his behaviour on the court but it was what he said during the argument that caught the attention of many.

Speaking to official Arnaud Gabas the highly animated Canadian said the day before he was ‘screamed’ at by Andrea Gaudenzi who is the head of the ATP Tour and even threatened to sue the men’s governing body if he defaulted from the match. Pospisil was making reference to an encounter he had with Gaudenzi during what was meant to be a routine Players meeting that usually takes place behind closed doors and out of the media spotlight. For this reason it is hard to establish what actually happened in Miami. Although opencourt.ca claims that the the world No.67 was brought to tears at one point following a series of criticisms.

Those alleged criticisms concern the Professional Tennis Players Association. An independent body that was co-founded by both Pospisil and Novak Djokovic. The aim of the PTPA is to campaign for players to have a greater say in the decision making processes. However, the movement isn’t without controversy. The ATP is against such a movement, arguing that it divides the sports and objectives of the group are unclear. In the past the ATP Council, whose members include both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, urged their peers not to join.

“Vasek Pospišil is my good friend and I empathize with him wholeheartedly. Players on tour would agree that he is an individual of the highest integrity who cares about the well being of his fellow competitors,” Djokovic wrote on social media.
“I am hopeful players recognize the importance of standing together,” he added.

It is clear there is a divide in men’s tennis but it is unclear as to how significant it is. Following the Pospisil incident, the hashtag ‘#playervoices’ emerged on Twitter with various players supporting calls for an independent body of some sort. Former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic wrote ‘voices need to be heard, respected and acknowledged. Don’t try to silence them, but work with them.’ Ivo Karlovic, who has played on the ATP Tour for 20 years, said it is ‘more obvious than ever that we need a players only association.’ Away from the internet, Denis Shapovalov spoke out in favour of the PTPA following his win at the Miami Open on Saturday.

“I have heard from several players a lot of not great information. So I’m definitely on the PTPA side. I think we are not underrepresented, but I think there is ways that we could be represented better,” he said.
“I don’t think that the ATP is doing the fullest job that they can be. I think there are other ways and there are players that are trying to introduce or help within the ATP bring in different information or sponsors and this and that, and basically we’re all getting shut down. They are just telling us to go and play tennis which in my opinion it’s not right.”

Quoting Kevin Anderson the PTPA does have some ‘unanswered questions’ concerning their long-term objectives for the sport. The world of tennis politics is a complicated one which isn’t helped by the fact there are seven separate governing bodies operating within the sport.

Perhaps the best way forward is to stick with facts and figures. Such as the SportsBusiness Annual Media Report of 2018 which shows that more than a billion people worldwide describes themselves as tennis fans. Furthermore, some of the sports best players are the highest paid athletes in the world. With this in mind, questions are being raised over why tennis only accounts for 1.3% of the total value for global sports TV. Etienne de Villiers, who served as ATP chairman from 2005 to 2008, said during a recent interview with Bloomberg that trying to change the business model of tennis is tough because “everyone distrusts everyone else.”

Just earlier in the week John Isner called for more transparency concerning prize money in the sport which has been dramatically reduced in recent months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the American does acknowledge that the ATP has been more forthcoming in information recently.

“Look, there’s always going to be some things that players are unhappy about,” he said.
“I do think recently the players have felt like the tour has been more transparent with them. We’re trying to understand the process a bit more.”

It is unclear what the future has in store for the PTPA but it is clear that Tennis is not entirely united at present.

Related Topics:Novak Djokovic PTPA vasek pospisil

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ATP

ATP RANKINGS UPDATE: Novak Djokovic, No.1 once more

Published

1 week ago

11/09/2023

Kingsley Elliot Kaye

After the US Open the Serbian champion reclaims top spot. Alexander Zverev is back in the Top 10

By Roberto Ferri

“Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion”

Rudy Tomjanovich coined this maxim just after his Houston Rockets won the NBA championship in 1995. He was paying homage to Akeem Holajuwon. It perfectly suits the heart of Daniil Medvedev, who proved 99% of tennis fans in the world to be wrong, convinced as they were that he would lose the semifinal to former No 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

But his dream to win a second US Open, after his triumph in 2021, was shattered by another champion, whose heart and class is even greater: that’s Novak Djokovic, who affixes his seal on his return to No.1, equalling Margaret Court Smith’s record of 24 majors.

Djokovic dethroning Alcaraz is not the only change in the top 20: Sascha Zverev is back in the top 10 after almost one year and Ben Shelton, great protagonist of the Us Open, debuts in the top 20 best players in the world.

TOP 20

Position	Player	Country	Pts	+/-
1	Djokovic	Serbia	11795	1
2	Alcaraz	Spain	8535	-1
3	Medvedev	Russia	7280
4	Rune	Denmark	4710
5	Tsitsipas	Greece	4615	2
6	Rublev	Russia	4515	2
7	Sinner	Italy	4465	-1
8	Fritz	USA	3955	1
9	Ruud	Norway	3560	-4
10	Zverev	Germany	3030	2
11	Tiafoe	USA	2690	-1
12	de Minaur	Australia	2685	1
13	Paul	USA	2660	1
14	Auger-Aliassime	Canada	2340	1
15	Khachanov	Russia	2135	-4
16	Hurkacz	Poland	2035	1
17	Norrie	GB	1985	-1
18	Musetti	Italy	1925
19	Shelton	USA	1735	28
20	Dimitrov	Bulgaria	1735	-1

A few comments:

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrei Rublev and Alexander Zverev gain 2 positions.

Ben Shelton devours 28 positions.

Sinner, Tiafoe, Norrie and Dimitrov lose one.

Casper Ruud and Karen Khachanov, runner up and semi-finalist respectively at the 2022 US Open, drop 4 positions.

One step forward for Fritz, de Minaur, Paul, Auger-Aliassime and Hurkacz.

ATP NITTO FINALS

From 12 to 19 November the 8 best players of the ranking based on the points earned in the ongoing solar season will be playing the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Will Novak Djokovic succeed in winning a second straight title? He appears to be heading in the right direction.

Rank	Player	Country	Pts	+/-
1	Djokovic	Serbia	8945	1
2	Alcaraz	Spagna	8175	-1
3	Medvedev	Russia	6590
4	Sinner	Italia	4365
5	Rublev	Russia	3640	1
6	Tsitsipas	Grecia	3570	-1
7	Rune	Denmark	3055
8	Zverev	Germania	3030
9	Fritz	USA	3010
10	Ruud	Norway	2625

Thanks to his triumph at the US Open the Serbian overtakes Alcaraz also in the Race to Turin.

Jannik Sinner holds fourth spot while Andrei Rublev overtakes Stefanos Tsitsipas and is now fifth.

The eighth position is occupied by Alexander Zverev.

Last year runner up, Casper Ruud is currently 10th. This means he would feature in Turin as a reserve.

ATP NEXT GENERATION FINALS

The Next Gen Finals, dedicated to the best under 21s, (8 effectives and 2 reserves) of the season will take place this year in Gedda, Saudi Arabia.

The 2022 winner, Brandon Nakashima, will not be defending his title, since he was born in 2001.

Position	Player	Country	Pts	YOB	ATP rank
1	Alcaraz	Spain	8175	2003	2
2	Rune	Denmark	3055	2003	4
3	Shelton	USA	1455	2002	19
4	Musetti	Italy	1300	2002	18
5	Fils	France	953	2004	44
6	Van Assche	France	597	2004	69
7	Stricker	Switzerland	576	2002	90
8	Michelsen	USA	492	2004	117
9	Medjedovic	Serbia	485	2003	121
10	Cazaux	France	455	2002	130
11	Cobolli	Italy	405	2002	132
12	Llamas Ruiz	Spain	370	2002	133

Taking for granted that Alcaraz and, most likely Rune, will be playing the ATP Finals, we have included in the chart the 12 current top under 21s.

BEST RANKING

Besides Ben Shelton, other 11 players have achieved their career highest this week.

We tribute a double applause to the four players who are making their debut in the top 100.

The 25-year-old Croatian Borna Gojo, 22-year-old Australian Rinky Hijkata and the Swiss next gen Dominic Stricker all reap the reward for their brilliant runs at the US Open. Seyboth Wild, the Brazilian who stunned Medvedev in the first round of Roland Garros leaps to No.76 after winning the Challenger in Como last week.

Player	Position	Country	Progress
Shelton	19	USA	28
Jarry	22	Chile	3
Baez	28	Argentina	4
Fils	44	France	4
Arnaldi	47	Italy	14
Altmaier	49	Germany	4
O’Connell	53	Australia	16
Seyboth Wild	76	Brazil	30
Gojo	77	Croatia	28
Watanuki	78	Japan	7
Mmoh	81	USA	8
Hijkata	83	Australia	27
Stricker	90	Switzerland	38

Translated by Kingsley Elliot Kaye

ATP

COMMENT: Novak Djokovic Proves His Greatness At US Open

Published

1 week ago

11/09/2023

James Beck

Love him, or hate him. But respect him.

No tennis player has ever been better than Novak Djokovic.

Even Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer have to take their hats off to Novak, and admire him.

Now that Rafa and Roger have left Djokovic on his own stage at least for now, tennis fans love Novak.

DJOKOVIC WENT ONE STEP FURTHER

Djokovic’s performance on Sunday evening in the U.S. Open final was simply amazing. Daniil Medvedev also played his heart out, but Djokovic went one step further. He was sensational.

It was a thrill-a-minute three-set match. It lasted well into the night after starting at mid-afternoon. The second set alone lasted 104 minutes.

Djokovic was the winner, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, but New York still loves 2021 champion Medvedev.

A FOURTH AND 24TH TITLE, AND A 24 TRIBUTE

At 36, the oldest U.S. Open men’s champion ever, Djokovic obviously has a special place in his heart for the number four. It’s the number of times he has won this tournament and the 24th time he has won a Grand Slam title.

The number 24 also was displayed prominently on the white jacket. Novak, his team members and family wore for the victory celebration as a tribute to the No. 24 jersey of deceased friend Kobe Bryant.

Djokovic lost his footing at least three times in the tight second set, stumbling to the surface once, apparently due to the length of the rallies.

Djokovic could look like he was almost completely wiped out of it physically one minute, and then play like Superman the next minute.

THREE POINTS MAY HAVE BEEN DECISIVE

Both men played great tennis, especially in the thrill-a-second second set in which Medvedev gained one set point in the 12th game before Djokovic recovered to force a tiebreaker.

Medvedev appeared to be in charge after out-playing Novak to win one of his drop shots to take a 5-4 lead in the tiebreaker. The match may have been decided on the next three points, all won by Djokovic on errors by the 6-6 Russian.

The big question now is what happens next January in the Australian Open. Right now, Djokovic probably wants to play . . . and win what has been his favorite tournament as far as success. But things can change quickly for players in their mid-30s. Just ask Roger or Rafa.

—

James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

ATP

Alcaraz Fell Victim To Unbeatable Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz was no match for Daniil Medvedev in the US Open semi-finals.

Published

2 weeks ago

09/09/2023

James Beck

(@RelevantTennis - Twitter)

A star had to fall. There was no other way.

This time, Carlos Alcaraz was the victim. Daniil Medvedev was unbeatable.

The 6-6 Russian was everywhere, playing almost perfect tennis in a 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over Alcaraz.

So, one former champion went down while one advanced to Sunday’s final at the U.S. Open.

And then there was Novak Djokovic, another former champion headed for the title match.

U.S. OPEN WAS THE BIG WINNER FRIDAY

The U.S. Open couldn’t lose once Djokovic dominated young American Ben Shelton, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4).

Djokovic appeared to be content with just winning while getting the preliminaries over with. He seemed to be a little miffed by Shelton’s cockiness. There were no hugs or embraces when the match ended. Just a handshake.

Shelton has huge potential, but it’s going to take some time before he’s ready to join the likes of Djokovic, Medvedev and Alcaraz. He’s a better athlete than he is tennis player.

Novak is ready to go for a record 24^th Grand Slam title.

Believe it or not, Medvedev will be playing in his fifth Grand Slam final.

Sunday should be a great day in Arthur Ashe Stadium, with two former champs, Djokovic and Medvedev, going against each other.

CAN COCO HIT WITH SABALENKA

The women’s final will be interesting. Can Coco Gauff compete with Aryna Sabalenka?

Sabalenka looked helpless against Madison Keys’ big strokes and serves in the first set of their semifinal on Thursday.

Sabalenka couldn’t win even one game in that set. She looked helpless.

But she obviously felt all along that she could beat Keys anytime she wanted. Or why else would the powerful Sabalenka go for broke on almost every shot? And it almost cost her.

Amazingly, Sabalenka waited almost to the final moments to decide to play within her game and stop the wildness.

Once Sabalenka decided to settle down and play to win, Keys went just the opposite way, similarly to her one-sided loss to Sloane Stephens in the 2017 U.S. Open final.

Keys appeared ready to win this time as she held a 6-0, 5-4 advantage over new world’s No. 1 Sabalenka, who seemed to be stumbling all over the court as she repeatedly hit wild shots in every direction.

Just like that, everything changed. Sabalenka started hitting winners everywhere as Keys reversed roles with Sabalenka. Not only did Sabalenka win the second set while dropping just one point in a tiebreaker, she stormed through a decisive 10-point third-set tiebreaker to win the match.

—

James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award. 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.