“They’ve been running into a brick wall every single time”: John Isner on PTPA’s struggles post-Djokovic

Novak Djokovic’s announcement that he would leave the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) was one of the topics discussed on the Nothing Major podcast, where Sam Querrey, John Isner, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson broke down the departure of one of the co-founders of the players’ organization.

Back in 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic when tennis was on hold, Djokovic teamed up with Vasek Pospisil to promote the creation of an association that would provide legal representation, support, and a direct voice for players—aiming to protect players’ rights against institutions like the ATP, WTA, and ITF.

However, this week began with Djokovic’s announcement that he would step away from the PTPA, citing concerns about the transparency of the organization. The 24-time Grand Slam champion nonetheless assured that he remains focused on contributing to the sport in other ways, reflecting the same principles that led him to create the association.

Nole—who recently withdrew from the Adelaide International due to physical issues—did not provide details about the specific factors that led him to leave. Leaving the PTPA, however, as discussed on the Nothing Major podcast—especially through John Isner’s perspective, part of the Executive Committee few years ago—sheds some light on the matter.

As part of the first PTPA Player Executive Committee—elected during the 2023 Australian Open—Isner represented one of eight players, including four men and four women, covering singles and doubles players. Other names included Paula Badosa, Hubert Hurkacz, and Ons Jabeur, as well as Djokovic himself.

Isner was particularly vocal about Djokovic’s departure from the PTPA: “It came as a surprise when you saw—like, when I saw his tweet. And by the way, the first six words of his tweet, if you're reading it, it made it seem like he was retiring from tennis,” the fomrer world No. 8 said. “I think the PTPA has lost a lot of momentum. They would probably say otherwise.”

“I was very heavily involved with the organization from the get-go. I really started—if you guys remember—that at the COVID U.S. Open, we all met on the grandstand court there and things seemed to be going well. But you know, we're six years in, almost six years into the PTPA, and they have been trying hard. They have been, but they've just been running up against, seemingly, a brick wall every single time. They're trying to make some headway for the players.”

“Of course, I don't know what went on with Novak and the PTPA. 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. It's gonna be… I don't know. It'd be interesting to see what happens with them going forward.”

Querrey then read part of Djokovic’s statement: “This is the quote from Novak: ‘Ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.’ So obviously there's an internal fight between Novak and the PTPA,” added the former world No. 11.

Johnson highlighted the importance of creating the PTPA, considering the many associations involved in professional tennis—and none that directly represented the players’ interests: “Maybe the outsiders don't quite know that the tour is pretty segmented—the ATP, the ITF, the Grand Slams. Everything is so different. There's not a lot of transparency.”

“We feel, as players, us, Novak and Vasek at the time—this is what they wanted, right? Like, this is exactly what they were trying to do. Obviously, if you have Novak's name attached to anything, you're immediately given a seat at the table because of his stature and status in the game.”

“But man, like, there’s been nothing the last four or five years. I think it's unfortunate because I do feel like everybody's intentions were good, but it's just hard in the tennis world. We're so global. We have too many guys in too many parts of the world. Not everybody's values align correctly, and obviously Novak feels that way.”