But the breakaway group set off a major division in the tennis world. Other members of the ATP Player Council, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson, opposed the move by Novak Djokovic and Co. Moreover, the governing bodies of tennis continue to back the ATP as the best body to represent the players’ interests.
Since that time, Novak Djokovic has confirmed that he has spoken at length with ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. The Serb said he shares a good equation with Gaudenzi on the issue, and that he wants to work together with the ATP with regard to player interests.
The Italian has now reinforced Novak Djokovic’s statements, and claimed that he is keen to work in tandem with the PTPA if that helps further everyone’s interests.
They definitely have the objective to improve life for the players on the tour: Andrea Gaudenzi on Novak Djokovic’s PTPA
Andrea Gaudenzi acknowledged that the intentions of the PTPA are to help the players on the tour, and that the ATP was open to addressing their concerns.
The 47-year-old Gaudenzi went on to say that being a former player (he was ranked among the Top 20 in 1995), he completely understands where Novak Djokovic and the rest of the players are coming from. He did also imply, however, that the players need to be more aware of the challenges behind the scenes.
For the next couple of weeks though, the attention is likely to fall back on the action inside the tennis courts. The French Open starts on Sunday, where Novak Djokovic is the top seed and one of the favourites for the men’s singles title.
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