Novak Djokovic joined the movement against frequent ball changes by the ATP that have seemingly led to increasing injuries. He implored the association to heed players’ complaints and take action. Top names like Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Paula Badosa, among many others, have spoken up about this issue.
An active campaigner for players’ rights, Djokovic has again pointed fingers at the ATP for not looking after its players. He slammed them for their silence on ball changes and asked for a quick resolution. The World No.1 has often been the voice of the players in questioning the ATP. His organisation, the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) will play an essential role.
Novak Djokovic blasts the ATP for silence on tournament balls issue
Djokovic has been one of the most vocal and outspoken players on the tour. He said there is ‘certainly a connection’ between the frequent ball changes for every tournament and a player suffering from wrist, shoulder, and elbow injuries. He also advocated the standardisation of tennis balls, using one approved ball for all ATP tournaments.
The Serb mentioned that different events tie up with different sponsors, leading to different balls for every competition. He supported the players complaining to the ATP and urged the association to come up with a solution. In an interview with Sportal (via Sportskeeda), Djokovic lambasted the lack of any statement from the ATP on the problem. He said he could not comprehend their silence when top players are discussing a major issue in public.
“I didn’t see that the ATP issued any statement regarding the player’s complaints, and these are things that are incomprehensible to me. When you have tennis players from the top who are trying to reach you in public and say: ‘Hey, let’s talk about that topic!’, you have to make a statement, address them, and say: ‘Okay, we understand, let’s sit at the table, let’s talk’.”
He believed that the ATP should seek out the opinions of a large group of players to see what the consensus is and take action accordingly. The 24-time Grand Slam winner emphasized the need for open communication and reiterated that he could not understand the quietness from the governing body. He said the ATP should acknowledge the problem publicly and work transparently on a solution, since being silent, which is often considered a great virtue, does not achieve anything in such cases.
“Let’s see if there is some process where questions are asked to the players and responses are sought from a larger group of players, from a hundred players, to see what everyone thinks, to see the consensus. There must be some activation, I don’t understand why there is silence from their side.”
“I hope that they will realize that there simply must be direct communication. Likewise, it should be publicly announced that they have received this information and are working on it, in the sense that they will see how they can find a solution that is acceptable. Silence will not change anything.”
Djokovic has forged a reputation as an active representative of the players. Argentine player Marco Trungelliti recently praised the Serb for his efforts. Trungelliti also attacked Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for not doing much to help the less-famous players.
Is ATP and WTA losing popularity amongst players?
WTA players Badosa and Marketa Vondrousova have also had a say on the ball changes. Apart from that, women players have often expressed unhappiness with how the WTA is run. Recently, the scheduling during the North American swing was criticized by the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Male players, too, have frequently spoken out against the ATP and its functioning.
Djokovic’s PTPA, seen as a rival to both the associations, is growing in popularity. Unlike the WTA and the ATP, the PTPA represents only players and has no stakes in tournaments, thus creating no conflict of interest. While the PTPA is still nascent, its co-founder has continued to fight for the players in his capacity as a top player.
As long as the ATP and the WTA do not improve and top players like Novak Djokovic need to keep using their influence to push the associations, they will continue losing popularity with the players.
