(Reuters) – American Sam Querrey confirmed after his first-round exit at the U.S. Open on Tuesday that he had resigned from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Player Council and joined a breakaway players’ group led by Novak Djokovic.
World number one Djokovic resigned as head of the council last month, along with council members Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American John Isner, to form the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).
Djokovic has described the PTPA as a platform for players to be better heard on decisions that affect their livelihoods, but the move has provoked resistance from Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, who are also part of the players’ council.
Querrey told reporters he had been in favour of a separate players’ association for some time and that his resignation from the council would give him more time to focus on his family.
“I’m not on the council anymore, I’m for the association,” Querrey said after his 6-4 7-6(6) 6-2 defeat to Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov.
“I think ultimately it will be a good thing to have an association. The guys have wanted it for 20 years. Hopefully the ball is rolling and this will be the first step and it can get some traction, get some fundamentals down, get some bylaws.”
The ATP currently governs the men’s professional Tour and its board is composed of representatives of both players and tournaments.
The 32-year-old believes the PTPA can work with the ATP, but is not yet sure about the specifics of that partnership.
“I’m hoping with the bylaws, and attorneys, someone else will tell me how it will work,” he said.
His resignation from the council, he added, was a combination of two factors.
“One, I’ve been a fan of wanting some type of association for a while. And two, my term on the council was supposed to end a few months ago.
“The council takes up a lot of time and I’ve got a new son at home and I’d rather put my time somewhere else and have someone else join the council who would be more passionate and more excited about it going forward.”
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Richard Pullin)
