By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday January 10, 2022
The PTPA – short for Professional Tennis Players Association – was officially formed in 2020, a group photo at the US Open marking the occasion. Since then, the organization formed in the name of player’s rights, and as a counter to the perceived hegemony of the ATP Tour, has function more as a potential agent of change rather than an active disruptor of the status quo.
But the PTPA has continued to evolve, and on Tuesday they took another step towards their intended goal of functioning as a thriving advocate for professional tennis players worldwide, hiring eight players to their executive committee.
Co-founders Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil are joined on the mixed-gender committee, by Ons Jabeur, Paula Badosa, John Isner, Hubert Hurkacz, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Saisai Zheng. Seven nations are represented, with four females and four males on the committee.
It’s an important step for the PTPA, which was criticized in 2020 for its lack of female inclusion.
“We are all unequivocally committed to representing every player during this incredibly important time in the sport of tennis. The sports entertainment environment is constantly evolving, and I have a particular focus on supporting and elevating women by aggressively pursuing and creating opportunities with a female focused approach. This too is a strong focus of the PTPA, represented by our organizational principles and for me personally. I am genuinely excited to make an impact and pioneer change,” said Mattek-Sands in a statement.
According to the PTPA’s press release the “eight founding Committee members will contribute their diversified perspectives and career experiences to this important new leadership body. They will help the Committee provide strategic leadership to build out the organization and advance the PTPA’s mission and business agenda.”
The PTPA also released it’s guiding principles in the statement.
The five core tenets of the PTPA Principles, according to the press release, are: Take collective action and advocate on behalf of tennis players globally
Obtain players’ fair share of the business of tennis and terms of participation
Optimize and rigorously protect tennis players’ rights
Safeguard tennis player’s’ welfare and protect players from abuse
Advocate for, and contribute to, the best vision and structure of tennis globally