Novak Djokovic’s announcement of his departure from the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) took American former ATP star John Isner by surprise. According to Isner, who himself was quite involved with the association co-founded by the Serb back in 2019, also claimed that when he first took notice of the former No. 1’s announcement, he thought the 38-year-old was announcing his retirement from tennis.
Djokovic, through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), confirmed his departure from the PTPA recently. In the very first post, the 24-time Major champion wrote:
“After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association. This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.”
On a recently-released episode of the Nothing Major podcast, which Isner co-hosts with compatriots and former ATP stars Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson, the former World No. 8 said the first few words written by Djokovic made him initially think that the Serb was bidding farewell to his illustrious tennis-playing career. Isner said:
“It came out as a surprise when I saw his tweet. By the way, the first six words of his tweet, if you’re reading it, it seemed like he was retiring from tennis. So, I’m sure a lot of people got scared, a lot of Novak fans, but yeah, a little bit of a surprise.”
“Huge blow to PTPA’s agenda” – John Isner on association’s future after Novak Djokovic’s departure
On the same episode of the Nothing Major podcast, Isner went on to assess the future of the PTPA now that Djokovic won’t be a part of the association going forward. According to the American, losing the 101-time career singles titlist’s leadership is a considerable setback for the PTPA, which, despite its limited success, continues to represent players’ interests. The now-retired American said:
“I’ve been sort of disassociated with them since I retired; just don’t really have the time for it. But yeah, it’s a surprise, and it’s a huge blow to the agenda of the PTPA when you have the greatest player of all time step down and back away from the organization that he founded.”
Djokovic, in his announcement, also voiced his commitment to prioritizing tennis and family after leaving the PTPA. The Serb was slated to feature at the upcoming Adelaide International, but withdrew citing physical unpreparedness, meaning his competitive outing in the new tennis season is likely to come directly at the Australian Open.
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