Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray face challenges as new members of player council
NEW YORK — In a year of crisis in tennis — match-fixing, doping scandals and continued grumbling over schedule issues — the world’s No. 1 player is now its player council president. Just call him President Djokovic.
Earlier this week in New York, top-ranked Novak Djokovic added a new title to his name as president of the ATP’s player council, the group formed to help advise the tour on player issues, driven to shape the future of the game.
"I gladly accepted it, because it's a calling. It's a responsibility,"Djokovic told reporters after the announcement.
It’s a stark shift from doubles specialist Eric Butorac, an American journeyman, as the player council president for the past two years, and another responsibility for Djokovic, who is also a father, the world’s best tennis player and a businessman endorsed by a myriad of brands.
"I'll do my best to contribute to the evolution of this sport for the time being," Djokovic said, sounding appropriately political.
Andy Murray, the world No. 2, is also a newly-elected member of the board, as is former top 10 resident Kevin Anderson of South Africa, American Rajeev Ram and Frenchman Gilles Simon among others.
It is a pivotal moment for men’s tennis to have its top two players on the council as the two most well-known players of this generation — Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — near the end of their respective careers. The ATP looks to continue the healthy state of the sport that these two global megastars have helped bring it to.
Issues are plenty, however, as 2016 has proven: Match-fixing; the ongoing push for prize money to go up; better TV deals for the tour; more inclusion for doubles coverage; a recalibration of the Davis Cup schedule, which is run by the ITF; and a look at the tour schedule overall, which for the men now includes just a six-week offseason.
On Friday, Djokovic voiced his support for a new exhibition event (which is not ATP sanctioned) backed by Federer, the Laver Cup, set to debut next September, but then also said that the ATP needed to do its best to curtail injuries due to the lengthy tour schedule.
"The schedule today is the same as it was so many decades ago," Djokovic said. "We really need to consider making some changes in the schedule (and) working towards protecting and nurturing players' wellness, well-being and health."
He continued: "You see more and more injuries. This is due to a very physical sport, a very demanding schedule with more events and more prize money. Players play more. But in the end of the day, in the bigger picture, it's not that great. You don't want to see short careers, right? You want to see longer careers. We all need to sit down and rethink about the future of the schedule of our sport."
It’s an overcrowded schedule that Steve Simon, the WTA CEO who took the helm 10 months ago, said he would be looking at altering as soon as 2019 as stars like Venus and Serena Williams near the twilight of their careers, as well.
Federer had served as the president of the player council from 2012-14, following a two-year stint by Nadal. Nadal, however, resigned early from the council, citing frustrations. He had pushed for a two-year rankings system that did not get passed.
Earlier this week in New York, Nadal told Spanish reporters that "hopefully" Djokovic can do more than he did as president.
"I would be lying if I say it was a positive experience because it was not," he was quoted as saying in Spanish newspaper El Español.
Can Djokovic and Murray make more of a mark than Nadal?
"I don’t know if we are going to see revolutionary changes with Novak or Andy because they like things the way they are," said Leif Shiras, a former player who now works as a commentator. "Are they going to change it? I hope so. There are improvements and changes to be made. Are they going to be there for the sake of the movement of the game? I don’t know."
Djokovic was previously part of the council from 2008-10 and looks to reassert himself into the politics of the sport.
"My colleagues and friends have given me the trust of being there. I need to take it," he said.
Follow Nick McCarvel on Twitter @NickMcCarvel.