Tennis ace Novaj Djokovic has recently decided to withdraw himself from the ATP council elections after forming the controversial PTPA in August last year. The formation of PTPA drew the ire of other players including Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. All of these players are currently part of the ATP player council.
“I’ve been nominated by my fellow players, I did not proactively run for council,” Djokovic told reporters after a defeat to Danill Medvedev at the ATP Finals.
“I was saying before and I’m going to say it again: We want to collaborate with ATP, and we want to be able to potentially have a place in the ecosystem, because this is what players deserve,” he added.
“Now, with this rule that has been voted on last night, that actually is a strong message from ATP that they don’t want PTPA at all in the system. So it’s very clear.”
“We are just trying to fight for a better position and better treatment out there in the ecosystem, and that’s all there is. It’s unfortunate really to see that the ATP’s position is such, but OK, now we know where we stand.”
Djokovic went on to clarify his stance in a series of tweets. The current number one made his decision clear and cleared away any doubts surrounding it.
The tweets read, “As you know, I am part of the PTPA, an organization that was recently created with no intention of being in conflict with the ATP.”
“The PTPA has yet to be structured with the strategy and long term vision yet to be clearly defined, and although the PTPA has made it clear it does not intend to be combative, it is unclear how the ATP will view the association in the future.”
‘Unfortunately, given these latest developments I feel it is now necessary to remove myself from the list of candidates. I do not wish to create conflict or uncertainty around the player elections or create any issues that may arise. I do this reluctantly and with a heavy heart.”
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