The ATP in 2021: The ATP Player Council vs. the PTPA

Just ahead of the US Open, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), led by co-presidents Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, was unveiled.

As part of the separation, Djokovic and Pospisil, along with John Isner and Sam Querrey, resigned from the ATP Player Council. The PTPA aims to “provide players with a self-governance structure that is independent from the ATP and is directly responsive to player-members’ needs and concerns,” but Kevin Anderson, who finished out Djokovic’s term as ATP Player Council president said, “the two entities can’t coexist.”

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At the ATP Finals, Djokovic stated the blocking of his and Pospisil’s nominations in December’s election for the next player council term “was a strong message from ATP that they don’t want PTPA at all in the system.”

The new season will help everyone understand the PTPA’s next steps, including what leadership involvement—if any—their WTA peers have in its infancy.