We are in Indian Wells. First Masters 1000 of the season. But that has barely been the talking point in Men's Tennis.
The dispute that came into the spotlight early this year in the Australian Open came to an end on Friday when it was announced Chris Kermode would not be extending his six-year term at the helm of the body that governs men’s tennis.
Novak Djokovic is the president of the ATP Player Council
World no.1 Men's singles player, Novak Djokovic, who is also the president of the ATP player council is widely reported to have taken the lead in ensuring Kermode’s exit.
Chris Kermode will have to step down as ATP's executive chairman and president in 2019
The president of the ATP serves three-year terms, and Kermode was up for renewal. Yet he did not receive the majority support of the three players’ representatives on the board, who include the broadcaster and former doubles champion Justin Gimelstob.
The players union led by Djokovic wanted to maximize their earnings as they felt their paymasters would rather keep the prize money under tight rein. With revenues of Grand Slams and other tournaments growing, the problem is that the prize money has not kept pace.
But such a big political move is possible only if all the players are truly united. And that's where the problem kicks in.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have fallen out with Novak Djokovic
It was shocking to know that the sport’s biggest stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal weren't even asked for their opinions. Nadal, being in the sport for over 15 years and Federer for 20 years, nobody knows how the sport works better than the iconic pair. And what makes this dispute more interesting is that Federer and Nadal were in support of Kermode and so was three-time Grand Slam champion Stanislas Wawrinka.
Stanislas Wawrinka has voiced his support for Kermode
“They are representing us, so normally they have to ask, what’s our opinion? Not in every small decision, but in big decisions,” Nadal said. “In my opinion, this one was a big decision.”
There have been previous complaints from Federer and Nadal about not being consulted, to which Djokovic countered, "They could also approach me." But Federer said the Serb turned down a request to meet before the ATP meetings at Indian Wells, where the ATP board voted not to extend Kermode's tenure.
Under the ATP’s voting system, Kermode needed majority support (at least two votes) from each camp to continue. He received all three of the tournament representatives’ votes but apparently failed to get any of the player representatives’ votes, which is pretty ironic considering the players have achieved some of the greatest gains in the history of the ATP Tour in the past five years. He also led the creation of new events like the Next Gen ATP Finals, designed to promote young players and help the young guns to step out of the shadows of the Big Three.
Craig Tiley, the chief executive of Tennis Australia, would be a strong ATP leader and has been interested in the chief executive post in the past.
All we can hope is that this dispute gets solved in a professional manner. There may be an argument from both sides whether Kermode should have stayed or not. Kermode did a lot for the sport but maybe Djokovic and the others felt that tennis needs new and fresh ideas.
The dispute that came into the spotlight early this year in the Australian Open came to an end on Friday when it was announced Chris Kermode would not be extending his six-year term at the helm of the body that governs men’s tennis.
World no.1 Men's singles player, Novak Djokovic, who is also the president of the ATP player council is widely reported to have taken the lead in ensuring Kermode’s exit.
The president of the ATP serves three-year terms, and Kermode was up for renewal. Yet he did not receive the majority support of the three players’ representatives on the board, who include the broadcaster and former doubles champion Justin Gimelstob.
The players union led by Djokovic wanted to maximize their earnings as they felt their paymasters would rather keep the prize money under tight rein. With revenues of Grand Slams and other tournaments growing, the problem is that the prize money has not kept pace.
But such a big political move is possible only if all the players are truly united. And that's where the problem kicks in.
It was shocking to know that the sport’s biggest stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal weren't even asked for their opinions. Nadal, being in the sport for over 15 years and Federer for 20 years, nobody knows how the sport works better than the iconic pair. And what makes this dispute more interesting is that Federer and Nadal were in support of Kermode and so was three-time Grand Slam champion Stanislas Wawrinka.
“They are representing us, so normally they have to ask, what’s our opinion? Not in every small decision, but in big decisions,” Nadal said. “In my opinion, this one was a big decision.”
There have been previous complaints from Federer and Nadal about not being consulted, to which Djokovic countered, "They could also approach me." But Federer said the Serb turned down a request to meet before the ATP meetings at Indian Wells, where the ATP board voted not to extend Kermode's tenure.
Under the ATP’s voting system, Kermode needed majority support (at least two votes) from each camp to continue. He received all three of the tournament representatives’ votes but apparently failed to get any of the player representatives’ votes, which is pretty ironic considering the players have achieved some of the greatest gains in the history of the ATP Tour in the past five years. He also led the creation of new events like the Next Gen ATP Finals, designed to promote young players and help the young guns to step out of the shadows of the Big Three.
Craig Tiley, the chief executive of Tennis Australia, would be a strong ATP leader and has been interested in the chief executive post in the past.
All we can hope is that this dispute gets solved in a professional manner. There may be an argument from both sides whether Kermode should have stayed or not. Kermode did a lot for the sport but maybe Djokovic and the others felt that tennis needs new and fresh ideas.
