Former world No 1 Andy Murray and three others have been elected to the ATP’s Player Council to replace the Novak Djokovic-led group who resigned from the body to form a breakaway union.
The governing body of men’s tennis announced Murray, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, Australian John Millman and Frenchman Jeremy Chardy will replace Djokovic, John Isner, Vasek Pospisil and Sam Querrey, who stepped down to form the Professional Tennis Players Association.
Murray joins 20-time Grand Slam champions Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on the council and the new group of four will begin their roles with immediate effect.
Djokovic resigned as head of the ATP Player Council before the US Open, along with Pospisil, Isner and Querrey, to form the new organisation.
But several high-profile players like Nadal and Federer have remained in their roles on the ATP Player Council, and Djokovic said last month he was “unpleasantly surprised” at the opposition from some players to his breakaway Tennis Players Association.
The world No 1 has reiterated the PTPA wants to co-exist with governing bodies while giving the players a platform to be better heard on decisions that affect their livelihoods.
The ATP was set up by players in 1972 to represent the male athletes but its board now includes representatives of tournament owners as well.
Besides the ATP and the women’s WTA, the sport is also controlled by the International Tennis Federation and the boards of the four Grand Slams.
Djokovic described the PTPA, which he said has already attracted the support of more than 200 players, as a platform for the views of the athletes that can co-exist with the ATP.
In response to the formation of the PTPA, the governing bodies had issued a joint statement calling for unity at a time when tennis has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
