Former Wimbledon Finalist Kevin Anderson says recent allegations made against the governing body of men’s tennis are ‘a little unfair’ as he explains his stance concerning the sharing of information among players.
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) issued a statement criticising the ATP Tour for what they claim is a lack of transparency concerning their 30-year strategic plan. The organisation, which was co-founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, argues that players need to know how the plan will impact them before a vote on it is made.
“With our mission in mind, we have repeatedly asked the ATP to delay the vote on their 30-year plan until the players understand how it will impact their health, wellness rights (digital and/or otherwise) and their ability to make fair wages,” the PTPA said in a statement.
Overseen by ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, the aim of the plan is set to increase the Tour’s revenue by grouping digital rights. Should it get given the green light it will come into effect from 2023. Players are said to benefit through increased prize money, 50-50 profit sharing and ‘full transparency’ of audited tournament financials.
Anderson is a member of the ATP Players Council, who previously urged their peers not to join the PTPA due to a lack of clarity over their objectives. Addressing those concerns about transparency, the South African argues that the concept of sharing comprehensive information of the Tour ‘wouldn’t work’ due to confidentiality reasons.
“I think it’s a very tricky balance because if you look at every organisation around the world representatives try to make the best informed decision for a wider group of people,” he said following his first round win at Wimbledon.
“You can’t have certain information spread amongst the whole group of players. I mean, it just wouldn’t work.’
“Tennis, in terms of confidential and private information, nothing seems to stay that way. So that is a reason why some information is just sensitive. You can’t necessarily share that with a wider group of players.”
The 35-year-old is one of 10 players currently sitting on the council along with the likes of Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Their role is to represent the views of players which then influences the ATP board when it comes to decision making. Although they are more of an advisory panel.
“As far as I’m concerned with being in the council, all of us are putting the time in to represent the players to the best of our abilities,” said Anderson.
“We’ve spoken a lot about communication. There’s a lot of people on the Tour that are always welcome to talk and explain as much as they possibly can to players.”
As for the viability of the PTPA, Djokovic has previously claimed that out of 500 players at least 75% are backing them. The 500 is made up of the top 350 singles players and the top 150 in the doubles from the men’s Tour. Although the names of those individuals have not been disclosed. Regarding the ATP’s future plan, John Isner, Reiley Opelka and Tennys Sandgren have all said there are unanswered questions.
“I think it is a little unfair to say there is a lack of transparency,” Anderson weighs in on the argument. “There’s certain information which is private and different people will view that differently. I think it’s important that players reach out themselves.’
“Communication is important, I’m the first to acknowledge that but I feel it goes both ways.”
At Wimbledon Anderson will play Djokovic in the second round. He trails their head-to-head 2-9.
