ATP Announces New Player Council

Written by: Staff on 25th June 2012

ATP Announces New Player Council

epa03242160 Gilles Simon of France serves to Brian Baker of the USA during their second round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 30 May 2012. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

The new ATP Player Council, selected by ATP player members, was announced at the pre-Wimbledon player meeting this evening. The new ATP Player Council includes returning players Roger Federer, Jarkko Nieminen, Eric Butorac and Andre Sa (served 2002-2004), as well as a number of new faces, elected for a two-year term to represent the ATP player membership.

Members elected by their peers to serve on the ATP Player Council through June 2014 are:

1-50 Singles: Kevin Anderson, Roger Federer, Jarkko Nieminen, Gilles Simon

51-100 Singles: Robin Haase, Sergiy Stakhovsky

1-100 Doubles: Mahesh Bhupathi, Eric Butorac

At-Large: James Cerretani, Andre Sa

Alumni: Brian Gottfried

Coach: Claudio Pistolesi

ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett said, “I’d like to congratulate the newly-elected ATP Player Council and thank those players who have concluded their terms. The ATP Player Council plays an incredibly important role in the governance of the ATP, with a seat at the table all year round, helping to make decisions that affect the operation of the ATP World Tour. The players who serve give a significant amount of their personal time, more than people may realize. The men’s game is driving the unprecedented popularity and commercial success of the sport today, and I believe the opportunities ahead of us are very exciting.”

The new ATP Player Council will have its first meeting in New York prior to the US Open, where the President and Vice President will be elected.

Federer, who begins his third term on the council, said, “It has been four years of good work with the Player Council in which we have made progress in some areas. There is more to do and I am happy to be back with the council group. It’s great to see some new players step up and I look forward to working with them to continue to grow our sport.”

First-time council member Simon said, “I have been on the Tour for a long time, and have learned a lot about tournaments and players. I have some ideas to share with the other players, and feel it is important for us to work together and make good decisions. Tennis is at the top and we want to continue to improve.”

Doubles representative Bhupathi said, “The boys have put some faith in me to represent them in the Player Council and I will do my best. It is an interesting time with the top three players at the helm of the sport. There are many issues that are being addressed and I’m happy to be able to contribute with some input.”

The ATP Player Council meets several times a year and makes recommendations to ATP Management and the ATP Board of Directors through the three Player Board representatives, whom the Council elects.

On Friday, Giorgio di Palermo was re-elected by the outgoing Player Council as Player Board representative from the European region. Di Palermo will serve another three-year term starting January 1, 2013. The ATP Board of Directors comprises three Player Representatives, three Tournament Representatives, and ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett.

Drewett said, “I also extend my congratulations to Giorgio di Palermo for his re-election as a Player Board representative. Giorgio has contributed much in his first three years and it’s great that he is returning.”

Topics: ATP Player Council, Gilles Simon, Jarkko Nieminen, Kevin Anderson, Robin Haase, Roger Federer, Sergiy Stakhovsky