By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday September 8, 2020
As Vasek Pospisil and Novak Djokovic talk about building consensus for their new association, big names like Rafael Nadal are on the wish list.
Photo USTA
Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil made their Professional Tennis Players Association official last week in New York. Now, with 150 signatures in tow, they are going about the business of building consensus.
Djokovic’s ill-timed default in New York certainly won’t help matters, but the group feels that it has time—and momentum—on its side in 2020.
What they don’t have is the support of two of the most powerful players in the game, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Pospisil, speaking to media after his loss to Alex de Minaur on Day 8, says he’d like to have a conversation with Nadal because he feels that the Spaniard’s beliefs are in line with what the fledgling PTPA wants to accomplish.
Pospisil was asked which player -- Federer or Nadal -- could possibly make a good convert (both have for the moment declined to sign for the PTPA and even lent their support for the stability of the tour and the importance of not rocking the boat on social media) for the fledgling organization.
“I personally believe these are times to be calm and work all of us together in the same direction,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. “It is time for unity, not for separation.”
Pospisil says he’d like to talk to Nadal about it.
“Probably the best one that I think is most likely is Nadal,” Pospisil told journalists when he was asked which player – Rafa or Roger – he felt would be more likely to join the fledgling organization.
“I don’t know him very well but I’ve heard that he is generally behind the players, has been behind the players a little bit more in previous years, and maybe he has less personal interests. I think he would maybe be the best one, the first one that would support it.”
Pospisil’s job now is to get more players to understand that the PTPA is not being combative, they organization simply hopes to exercise the rights of the players and to help them have a more powerful voice at the bargaining table.
“I think we need to have a better conversation because first of all there’s nothing negative about starting the player’s association,” Pospisil said. “We’re not coming in combative, we’re going to give the management all the time in the world to fulfill their vision there’s not going to be any disruption. The players are just trying to organize themselves, have a voice and then, give the time to [ATP CEO Gaudenzi] Andrea.”
Pospisil says that Nadal would be a good fit for the PTPA because the Spaniard has always been sympathetic to the plight of the players and their struggles.
“I think of Roger and Rafa I believe Rafa probably will be more likely to be the first one to support it,” he said. “If that ever happens. But of course I like to think it will, because this is all just for the interests of the player and he’s still, he’s a player. I don’t know what he plans to do after he retires, but I think that he’s very aware of some of the struggles the players have had in the last 20 years. I know he’s been vocal about it in the past, so I don’t see why we couldn’t have constructive conversations with him and see how it goes.”