Spanish former player Emilio Sanchez Vicario recently revisited Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the ATP Player Council elections. The Spaniard’s recollection of the instance stemmed from his thoughts on more players being able to depend on tennis for their livelihoods.
Vicario, a former World No. 1 in men’s doubles, gave an in-depth interview to Marca. During the interview, the 59-year-old cited the need for a new structure in tennis that could potentially pave the way for more money to trickle down into the hands of lower-ranked players.
Vicario also cast his mind back to the controversial withdrawal of Djokovic from the ATP Player Council elections following a rule implemented by the ATP in 2020.
“I think it’s a good time to create a pyramid structure in which one could ascend in an even manner and where there would be many more people earning money. Djokovic tried something like that… And how long did it take to remove him from the Council? Why? Because if he promoted more distribution on the tournaments, it would harm the managers, and they convinced the players that it would be detrimental to them,” Vicario told Marca.
The Spaniard also expressed a hint of uncertainty about the future of how money would be shared between players and tournaments, which would greatly impact how much prize money players earn.
“The association that promoted it, the IPTA , is still active. And it said that the players could not be in the same boat as those who share the money… Small steps are being taken because there is a bigger cake at hand, and as it seems that something is brewing, we have to see where this situation will lead,” Vicario added.
In December 2020, Novak Djokovic announced that he would not be contesting the ATP Player Council elections after his role in the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) was deemed a conflict of interest by the ATP. He had previously stepped down from his role as ATP Player Council President in August 2020 to begin the PTPA alongside Vasek Pospisil.
Earlier that year, during a social media interaction with Fabio Fognini, the Serb had urged his peers to help players struggling at the sport’s lower levels.
“Show these lower-ranked players that we do not forget about them” – Novak Djokovic in 2020
In April 2020, then-ATP Player Council President Novak Djokovic and Fabio Fognini interacted with each other in an Instagram Live session. The Serb called on the tennis fraternity to provide as much financial help as possible to players at the sport’s lower levels.
At the time, the COVID-19 pandemic had brought tennis events to a standstill, significantly impacting the livelihoods of lower-ranked players.
“I feel that the players should show the solidarity and show the unity in this moment, show these lower-ranked players that we do not forget about them,” the Serb said.
The 24-time Major winner and former World No. 1 was not at his best in 2024, even though he did register his maiden men’s singles gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics. However, there is a lot of expectation surrounding the Serb’s chances in 2025, especially after he roped in Andy Murray as his new coach.
