Goran Ivanisevic, currently part of Novak Djokovic’s own entourage and Adria Tour TD for the Croatian leg has added to the discontent surrounding his employer by stating that “I hope Novak Djokovic loses the ATP Player Council Presidency.
Speaking in an RTL TV interview he also said “Novak is not having an easy time following his announcement that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, adding that the two had spoken since the cancellation of the final day of Djokovic’s exhibition in Croatia, which was run by Ivanisevic.
“He will hold up despite everything, but it is not easy for him.”
“Everybody is smart now”
In my opinion, I would love to see Novak Djokovic stepping down from the ATP Player Council presidency. Since he got there, everything he does is wrong.
The attacks come from all over the world and that takes a lot of energy out of him, trying to make the right moves for our sport.
As the leading light of the ATP player council, the World number 1 has crossed swords with many of his own members in recent times, not least because of his perceived agenda not to re-appoint former ATP head Chris Kermode when his contract expired on 31 December 2019.
The lead administrator for the London ATP finals, which after twelve successful years will move to Turin in 2021, Kermode facilitated turning the event into the biggest money-spinner in ATP tennis outside the grand slams.
Djokovic subsequently, voiced his own controversial opinions on money distribution downwards to the lower-ranked players in difficulty as a result of the covid pandemic lockdown, which did not sit at all well with many of his members.
He then proceeded to breach the sports’ declared protocols during his lockdown in Marbella, breaking the quarantine regulations to go and play tennis at the Puente Romano Tennis Club, close to his luxury self-isolation bolt-hole.
This forced the club management to issue an apology on behalf of it’s VIP guest for breaching Spain’s lockdown regulations after posting a not so smart self-indicting video of himself hitting out with one of his own team on his own social media channel.
With Djokivic right in the crosshairs of the firing line again following the latest Adria Tour debacle, time may be running out to repair the damage done by his apparent lack of administrative and diplomatic skills, and many powerful voices within the ATP are suggesting it may be time to voluntarily step down from the position.
