The ATP Tour has recently announced a new pay structure that guarantees lower-ranked players’ financial security. ‘Baseline’, a transformational financial security program for ATP players, will begin a three-year experiment in 2024. This innovative effort is a significant first in the ATP Tour’s history. Novak Djokovic was a big advocate for this, as he constantly raised his voice for the financial security of lower ranked players.
Djokovic was the president of the players’ council in 2019 and suggested that the players would quit the Australian Open 2019. In 2020, the 36-year-old quit the ATP Players’ Council to co-found the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) with Canadian tennis star Vasek Pospisil.
Novak Djokovic credited for ‘pressurizing’ ATP to bring in new pay structure
Tennis is a sport where a player can earn a high amount of money if he is at the top of the game, but young tennis players, ranked lower than 100 have historically struggled early in their career. The new Baseline program will secure players between $75,000 and $300,000 per year. Furthermore, the players will be paid even if they are unable to compete due to injury and also, when they first break into the top 125 in the ATP Rankings.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic, has long advocated for stronger financial security for lower-ranked players. Djokovic, along-side Vasek Pospisil, formed the PTPA in 2020 to solve problems in men’s tennis. In addition to advocating for financial security through the PTPA, Djokovic worked to raise awareness of players who were struggling during the pandemic, when several tournaments were canceled.
This decision have been well received by the tennis fraternity and fans’ and players are appreciating Djokovic for his contribution in it. People on social media have been full of praise for the PTPA and Djokovic for their role in this groundbreaking decision.
Thank you Novak. Thank you Pospisil. Thank you PTPA. https://t.co/6g171FZULn
— Charyse (@CharyseJeanny) August 22, 2023
W de Djokovic y Pospisil https://t.co/bFb71vL8E2
— 💀 (@Dany_Shaggy55) August 22, 2023
Is Djokovic the ultimate trailblazer in tennis?
Novak Djokovic is the most successful men’s tennis player with 23 Grand Slams, but his work off-court is just as influential as his on-court brilliance. The Serb has been an influential figure in tennis for more than a decade now, be it with his diet, his stance on vaccination or his ability to chase history every time he is on court.
The Serb has a strict diet routine and doesn’t break it at any cost. Djokovic recently revealed that after his 5 hours and 52 minutes epic win against Rafael Nadal at Australian Open 2012, he just wanted a piece of chocolate. The Serb had not had chocolate since 2010, and that is the level of dedication required to compete at the highest level.
Djokovic had strong stance against vaccination as well, when he refused to get vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccines. The 36-year-old missed a few Grand Slam tournaments, most famously the Australian Open in 2022 and the US Open in 2021. However, the Serb was still happy with his decision and refused to budge to the external pressure.
Novak Djokovic can come across as a controversial figure, but there is no denying that the Serb is one of the most influential players on tour. With his ability to win across all surfaces, and his flexibility, Djokovic will go down as one of the all time greats.
