Novak Djokovic and ‘a bunch of other people’ in shock U-turn as they look to rejoin ATP Player Council

ATP Tour
Novak Djokovic disappointed

Barely three months after quitting their roles on the ATP Player Council to form the breakaway Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), Novak Djokovic and “a bunch of people” are looking to rejoin the player council.

World No 1 Djokovic, as well as Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American pair Sam Querrey and John Isner stunned the tennis world on the eve of the US Open in by announcing that they would step down from the ATP Player Council to launch the PTPA.

Djokovic insisted they had hoped to co-exist alongside the ATP Player Council, adding that “it was not a union” and they are “not calling for player boycotts.

“We don’t have a minimum number of players that will sign or maximum number of players that will sign,” he said.

“We are hoping we can get majority of those players. We are aware that it most likely will not be the case today, but we are giving it time.”

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were quite critical of the move and insisted it was time for “unity and not separation” while Nadal earlier this week admitted that he hasn’t spoken to Djokovic about the PTPA.

Rafael Nadal yet to speak to Novak Djokovic about PTPA, but insists ‘we don’t need another organisation’

The Telegraph journalist Simon Briggs on Tuesday evening broke the story about Djokovic and Pospisil “now applying to rejoin the Player Council”.

And ATP Player Council member Bruno Soares confirmed that their names are on the list of players who are looking to join.

“I saw the list, not only them, there is a bunch of people,” he said at the ATP Finals.

“It’s quite interesting, because they resigned three months ago to go ahead with PTPA. I don’t really know what’s on with the PTPA. I was kicked out from their chat, I guess because I stayed in the Player Council, so I don’t know their ideas. I don’t know what they are doing.

“I guess it’s quite interesting to see them running. We don’t hear from players. There is not like a political campaign that we hear players talking about what they are going to do if they get elected.

“So I’m probably as shocked and curious as you guys with both of them resigning three months ago and then running again.”

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Bruno Soares Novak Djokovic Vasek Pospisil

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