Bill Simons
Naomi Osaka said, “I’m weird – it’s kind of a fact.” You know what else is weird? Tennis in 2020. “The tennis gods must be crazy,” muttered one observer. We were frightened when wildfires threatened the Australian Open, and astonished when 21-year-old long shot Sofia Kenin claimed the title. Then, abruptly, the pandemic put the brakes on our world and our sport.
The French Open grabbed a great slot in the calendar in late September. Well insured Wimbledon was canceled with class. The US Open fought mightily just to have its tourney. There was a tennis retreat in the West Virginia mountains for the World TeamTennis season that worked, and an exhibition in the Balkans that didn’t. Some in tennis tested positive for COVID, including Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Pat McEnroe, Goran Ivanisivic and Frances Tiafoe.
When tennis came back, little-known Jen Brady won in Kentucky and Serena gave us many a torturous performance. The Bryan brothers retired and Naomi Osaka gave us a first. She withdrew twice from a tourney. Speaking out for racial justice, she first said she wouldn’t play her Thursday semi at the Western and Southern. Then the USTA, the ATP and the WTA paused play for a day and she re-entered on Friday and won her semi. Then a hamstring injury forced her to pull out of the final.
Victoria Azarenka, who prior to this week, hadn’t won a match in a year, was soon lifting the trophy in a weird, disassociated scene of rising flags, falling confetti, bright signs and a shiny trophy in a huge, almost empty arena. It was a moment of redemption for the long-struggling Vika, but it was odd.
Amidst all the weirdness this year, one thing has been constant. On and off the court, Novak Djokovic has been in the thick of things. Despite an unhappy neck and the loss of the first set to the big-serving Canadian, Milos Raonic, the Serb toughed out a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory to win the 80th title of his career. Only Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Ivan Lendl have done better. It was his 35th Masters win, a mark that equals Rafa’s, and his second Western and Southern title. He’s the only man to have triumphed twice in each of the nine ATP Masters, and nobody else has even won each of them once.
This year he’s won straight singles matches. Off court, he’s hopscotched from one dustup to another: Fouled drinking water can be made good by positive thoughts…It’s impossible to come to the US Open with just one support person…I did nothing wrong with the Adria Tour…There is a witch hunt against me for hosting the tour.
All this was just a warmup for today’s blockbuster announcement by a group of players, including Djokovic, Canadian Vasek Pospisil and John Isner, who announced the formation of the Professional Tennis Players Association, which would give the players their own group and voice. A document attempting to collect signatures in support of the organization stated that its goal “is not to replace the ATP, but to provide players with a self-governance structure that is independent from the ATP and is directly responsive to player-members’ needs and concerns.”
Djokovic and Pospisil have long been activists within the ATP. They ousted the former ATP Chairman Chris Kermode last year and have issued calls for more compensation for players and more even distribution of pay. Pospisil, No.90 in the world earlier called for the ATP to work with women, butt the PTPA’s roll out did not mention any alliance with women. Pospisil, Djokovic and Isner all resigned from the ATP Player Council.
They contended their initiative is not new and has gone on for twenty years, the ATP structure is skewed and doesn’t treat the players fairly, and the players are not united. Their letter to the players said, “We need to start from somewhere. We need to show our unity and strength. Not because we want to fight but because we want to be consulted, valued, respected on all big decisions…We all know how many agents, federation people, business people have been on the Board…for decades working on their own interest…It’s a monopoly and that is why in order to change something in favor of players we need to show unity.”
Djokovic said no “job action” (i.e. boycott or strike) was planned. The Serb conceded there are differences, and the new group may not get wide support. But he noted they had to start somewhere and see just how much support they had. And, they needed to give it time.
In a strong show of unity, all four Slams as well as the ITF and WTA stated they supported the ATP. Indicative of a deep divide, remaining Council members Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Sam Querrey and Bruno Soares opposed the move in a private letter to players.
Nadal then tweeted, “The world is living a difficult and complicated situation. I personally believe these are times to be calm and work all of us together in the same direction. It is time for unity, not for separation.”
Dani Vallverdu, a former council member, said, “I hope the players don’t make the wrong decision with such vague information. It will disrupt 15 years of hard work by the ATP and top players.”
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi contended that the players “have what other athletes in other sports would strive for – a seat at the boardroom table. That is what players fought for in the creation of the ATP. It makes no sense why you would be better served by shifting your role from the inside to the outside of the governance structure.” Andy Murray said he would not be signing onto the new PTPA, but he wasn’t totally against it. He added that the current ATP management should be given time to prove itself and that part of the problem was that women were not part of the new group.
Despite all the doubts, in a historic, bold move, the players voted in a meeting Saturday night meeting to approve the player association.
As all the inside-the-bubble politics sizzled, fans still wondered what will actually happen at an Open without fans and without so many big names like Federer, Nadal, Ash Barty and Simona Halep. Will this just be another cakewalk for Djokovic, who has won five of the last seven Slams and will play Monday night? Will the diminished field and silent arenas help a young player emerge? Will Serena, who faces Kristie Ahn in the first round, and possibly Sloane Stephens in the third, manage to put her shock loss to Maria Sakkari behind her, and, after eight attempts, at last equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Slams? Will the un-retired Kim Clijsters make a run? Will an American man shock us and win for the first time since 2003?
Who knows? But somehow we suspect this tennis tournament will be one thing: – weird. And that’s kind of a fact.
