Former Spanish tennis star Emilio Sanchez Vicario suggests Novak Djokovic had the purest of intentions when he launched the Professional Tennis Players Association but that his goal of creating better conditions for the lower-ranked player didn't sit well with some because it would negatively impact their money.
If you remember well, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion was a part of the ATP Player Council for many years and even the president.
Then in 2020, he decided to co-found the PTPA with Vasek Pospisil. From Day 1, Djokovic explained that one of his association's main goals would be creating better opportunities for the lower-ranked and giving them a better shot at earning a decent living.
However, the ATP officials weren't impressed with the PTPA at all. It all resulted in the Serbian tennis star leaving the ATP Player Council for good.
Sanchez: Djokovic's idea was right but it would harm the tournaments and the managers
"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," the former world No. 7 told Marca.
It is not a secret that the ATP still shares the same view on the PTPA and that the relationship between the two associations isn't the best and that there are no indications that the ATP will be willing to work with the PTPA.
However, Djokovic and his partners continue to fight for the cause as they firmly believe that players need a voice and someone to stand behind them when something happens.
One of the most notable cases was the one of Simona Halep, where the PTPA pushed hard for the transparency and did their best to at least publicly support the Romanian during her doping case.
