TORONTO: Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) co-founders Vasek Pospisil and World Number 1 Novak Djokovic have named Adam Larry executive director, enlisted Carrie Gerlach Cecil to lead brand and communications and appointed Bill Ackman, Michael Hirshfeld, Rebecca Macdonald, Katarina Pijetlovic and Anton Rabie to its advisory board.
For the record, the PTPA has been set up as a rival tennis players’ representative body to the established Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Pertinently, the two other titans of the game apart for Djokovic – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – have chosen to stay with the “establishment” and have opposed the PTPA.
Created by the players for the players, the PTPA is an integrated association for professional tennis players. The PTPA movement is uniting and mobilizing tennis players in order to create transparency and fairness throughout decision-making in professional tennis.
“With the establishment of our advisory board, our branding and communications team and the appointment of Adam Larry as executive director, we have taken one step closer toward our goal of facilitating a fair and sustainable competitive environment for tennis players today, and for generations to come,” said Pospisil. “We are very thankful for the entire PTPA community for their tireless work and their commitment to support the PTPA movement.”
“I am beyond grateful to our advisory board, our PTPA team, and the players who have come together to advocate for the greater good in our incredible sport,” said Djokovic.
“We are working toward growth to help all players, not just the top 100, to make sustainable livelihoods and have their rights protected on and off the court. From top to bottom, we must use our collective voices to help players today, and tomorrow.”
“First and foremost, the PTPA is the players’ movement,” said Larry. “The PTPA wants to work with all of the tennis governing bodies to inspire collective reform to better the sport.”
“It is our team’s mission to ensure the players are fairly represented at all times and in all matters that affect their ability to compete, make equitable wages, and that involve their health and welfare. It is an honor to be a part of such an innovative group of leaders committed to doing the right thing.”
