"Novak Djokovic isn't doing the PTPA for himself, he doesn't need the money or the distraction" - Donald Dell
Donald Dell, co-founder of the ATP, believes Novak Djokovic's motives behind launching the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) should not be questioned. According to Dell, Djokovic is interested in protecting the interests of his peers and is not chasing financial rewards.
Dell is a former US Open quarterfinalist and a World No. 5 (as per US rankings in 1961). However, he is better known for his career as a sports agent; Dell was the first agent in professional tennis and represented the likes of Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl.
The American, who co-founded the ATP in 1972 with Jack Kramer and Cliff Drysdale, is also a sports attorney and, as such, is well-versed with the legal aspect of sports.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil launched the breakaway players union, the PTPA, at last year's US Open, in order to protect the interests of the players, especially lower-ranked ones. The PTPA has since garnered support from hundreds of tennis professionals.
While writing for Sports Illustrated, Dell pointed out that the World No. 1 cannot possibly have any vested interests in the PTPA, as he is already extremely wealthy.
"Djokovic surely isn’t doing this (PTPA) for himself," Donald Dell wrote. "He doesn’t need the money, having pocketed more than $151 million in on-court earnings, not to mention the endorsement dollars."
BREAKING: Read #PTPA news.📰
Created by the players for the players, the PTPA movement has united & mobilized tennis players from around the globe in order to create transparency & fairness throughout decision-making in professional tennis.
Read 👀 ⬇️ Follow us for updates✅ https://t.co/mpE49A9wQv
Djokovic has been heavily involved in the functioning of the PTPA despite a busy year on court. The Serb is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and came agonizingly close to completing the Calendar Slam (winning all four Majors in the same year).
According to Dell, the fact that Djokovic dedicated his time and attention towards the PTPA despite being under immense pressure to deliver on the court proves that the Serb genuinely cares about the wellbeing of his peers.
"He doesn’t need the distraction, either," Dell went on. "No one would have blamed him had he stepped aside and let Pospisil do the heavy lifting as he pursued one of the most hallowed feats in tennis, something that hasn’t been matched in more than half a century, a sweep of the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open."
So much hard work has gone into this by our incredible team. This is just the beginning. #PTPA #playersvoice @ptpaplayers twitter.com/ptpaplayers/st…
Djokovic has always maintained that he has a responsibility towards his fellow players and the development of the sport, a point that was highlighted by Dell in the article for SI.
"But he (Novak Djokovic) says with his success has come a huge responsibility, to ensure that the next generation of players, and those ranked No. 150 on down, can make a decent living," Dell wrote.
If Novak Djokovic can convince the next generation of champions to join the cause, he might be onto something: Donald Dell
The Novak Djokovic-led PTPA has garnered support from numerous players on tour but is still missing the seal of approval from several top players including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
While the likes of Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem have praised the efforts of Djokovic and the PTPA, it is unclear if they have joined the association.
Donald Dell, on his part, believes Djokovic can take the PTPA to a new level if he can secure the backing of the Next Gen.
"Today the PTPA claims a membership in the “hundreds,” though neither Federer nor Nadal are apparently among them," Dell wrote. "If Djokovic can convince the next generation of champions—Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, et al.—to join the cause, he might be onto something."
Dell believes it is important for the PTPA to find a way to include the WTA as they too boast some big names and rising stars.
"More important, the PTPA must include the women’s tour in their plans, too, something they stumbled on from the onset," the American added. "After all, the WTA boasts some of the most exciting and most popular athletes in the world (see Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and fast-rising teens like Coco Gauff, Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu)."