Vasek Pospisil and the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA)

On August 29, 2020,  the New York Times reported that world No.1 Novak Djokovic  announced his resignation from the presidency of the ATP players' council to help form the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association). Canadians Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil announced their intentions to join. American John Isner suggested that he favors the PTPA.

We had an exclusive interview with Vasek Pospisil about the ATP player council, published here in May of 2020, reproduced below. A notable quote from this interview:  Vasek Pospisil says of the ATP: "I can't say that I like everything that I'm seeing over there....."

 

Karl Corbett:  You know, tennis is interesting. There's the game of tennis and then there is the business of tennis. And then there are the fans. There are different ways these three circles intersect. The players interact with the fans. And there is the business structure that supports the players and gets the fans in the seats.  You're kind of at the heart of it with the player council. Most guys won't go that extra mile and jump in, to help make the structure better for other players. What's that about? 

 

Vasek Pospisil:   I just got passionate about it. I knew that it would take up a lot of my time and there's a lot of work, if you want to go on the council and you want to try to effect change. That requires a certain amount of work and time. I am just passionate about all of that. I want to improve the sport that I love so much.

 

Obviously, I had heard about some of the issues that the players have, which kind of stemmed from the business side of tennis, right? If  it's anything, it's just for players to have a bigger voice. That's what I've been fighting for on the council.

 

I have been working really hard, spending a lot of time there. The demands of being on the ATP council, it's one of the reasons why I've had less time for myself. But it's been a very educational process, a real  learning experience. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and I can't say that I like everything that I'm seeing over there (at the ATP) , from a player's perspective. But, that's how it is. You keep fighting and trying to improve life on tour for the tennis players.

 

Karl:  Well if there wasn't any room for improvement, you would not need to get involved.

 

Vasek: That’s exactly right, yeah.

 

#ptpa #novakdjokovic #vasekpospisil #ATP #tennis

We had an exclusive interview with Vasek Pospisil about the ATP player council, published here in May of 2020, reproduced below. A notable quote from this interview:  Vasek Pospisil says of the ATP: "I can't say that I like everything that I'm seeing over there....."

 

Karl Corbett:  You know, tennis is interesting. There's the game of tennis and then there is the business of tennis. And then there are the fans. There are different ways these three circles intersect. The players interact with the fans. And there is the business structure that supports the players and gets the fans in the seats.  You're kind of at the heart of it with the player council. Most guys won't go that extra mile and jump in, to help make the structure better for other players. What's that about? 

 

Vasek Pospisil:   I just got passionate about it. I knew that it would take up a lot of my time and there's a lot of work, if you want to go on the council and you want to try to effect change. That requires a certain amount of work and time. I am just passionate about all of that. I want to improve the sport that I love so much.

 

Obviously, I had heard about some of the issues that the players have, which kind of stemmed from the business side of tennis, right? If  it's anything, it's just for players to have a bigger voice. That's what I've been fighting for on the council.

 

I have been working really hard, spending a lot of time there. The demands of being on the ATP council, it's one of the reasons why I've had less time for myself. But it's been a very educational process, a real  learning experience. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and I can't say that I like everything that I'm seeing over there (at the ATP) , from a player's perspective. But, that's how it is. You keep fighting and trying to improve life on tour for the tennis players.

 

Karl:  Well if there wasn't any room for improvement, you would not need to get involved.

 

Vasek: That’s exactly right, yeah.

 

#ptpa #novakdjokovic #vasekpospisil #ATP #tennis