"Maybe he is not the most favorite of the public but I am very grateful to him" - Facundo Bagnis on how Novak Djokovic helps his fellow tennis players
Argentine tennis veteran Facundo Bagnis recently expressed his gratitude to former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the Serb's immense support for his fellow tennis players.
Speaking to La Nacion, the 32-year-old stated how Djokovic's Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) helped players like Bagnis stand eye to eye with ATP. He also shed light on the lack of a relationship between ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi and lower-ranked players.
"In 2020 I lived the moment when [Novak] Djokovic created the new association [Professional Tennis Players Association] and the ATP was terribly aggressive with us not to join. Today, the president of the ATP [Andrea Gaudenzi], has no relationship with the players, at least with those who are not in the top 20," Bagnis said.
Bagnis expressed his gratitude to the 21-time Grand Slam winner for his active involvement in the efforts to bring equal justice to fellow tennis players.
"I am grateful for what Djokovic did. Players have to have a kind of union in charge of talking to the ATP. The federation that Djokovic created is still in force, work is being done because it is new, it is something that is scary and still does not have much strength. But I saw him super involved in the tournament in Rome, in a meeting for two and a half hours, which was not mandatory and he was playing the next day. People don't have the chance to see that, but I do and I take my hat off," he stated.
Bagnis also touched upon how the 36-year-old had been empathetic towards players with less financial power. He also admitted that while the tennis ace may not be the most perfect man and certainly not the favorite of the public, he is grateful to the former World No. 1.
"Yes, without a doubt.He is putting himself in the shoes of the players who have economic limitations and who may be more relegated. Then he has a lot of mistakes and maybe he is not the most favorite of the public, but I am not a fan, I am part of the circuit and I am very grateful to him," Bagnis said.
"He was the one who proposed that players outside the Top 100 be helped during the pandemic" - Facundo Bagnis on Novak Djokovic
Facundo Bagnis also raved about how Novak Djokovic helped the victims of the fires in Australia and was also the player who proposed the idea of helping those ranked outside the top 100 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"He has messes because he does. You are going to see him making mistakes, yes, but because he does. He was the one who helped during the fires in Australia, he was the one who proposed that players outside the Top 100 be helped during the pandemic," Bagnis said.
"Anyone who doesn't want to participate is within their rights. But that's the point of sharing the sport: it's give and take. Because then each one goes with his little team, each one wins, loses, I earn more money, you less and bye... It's hard to change that gap that only the first hundred live from this sport. How long have we heard it? A lot of years. So there is a difficulty," Bagnis added.