Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev Among Those Elected To ATP Player Advisory Council
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Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev will be responsible for standing up for their fellow players after being elected to the ATP Player Advisory Council.
The twelve-member Advisory Council is one of the most important mechanisms for players to get their opinions across and express unhappiness with aspects of the ATP Tour they feel could be improved.
Those on the Advisory Council can vote and deliver advisory decisions to the Board of Directors. However, those decisions can be vetoed, limiting the Council's power.
Nonetheless, it is still an essential way for ATP stars to try to influence the circuit wherever possible. Without the Council, the Board of Directors would make decisions without being as aware of what the players think.
Alexander Zverev was re-elected to the Council by players ranked from No. 1 to 50. His place on the Council is interesting because of the world No. 2's heated previous views about the ATP Tour.
Zverev, a significant proponent of shortening the tennis calendar, claimed in September during the Laver Cup that the ATP does not care about players and only wants to profit from their efforts during tournaments worldwide.
His experiences on the Council might have influenced the German's blunt view of the governing body since it gave him an understanding of what it is like to deal with ATP staff members, who often reject initiatives the players would like to see implemented.
However, during November's ATP Finals, Zverev discussed how being a Council member gave him insight into the quality of balls used during matches, a topic that several players discussed last season.
The two-time Grand Slam runner-up described how the companies that supply tennis balls lowered their costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused the balls to lose their pace and bounce quicker than in previous years.
Rublev is among the new players elected to the ATP Player Advisory Council. He and all those voted in will serve two-year terms before voting occurs again. Rublev, like Zverev, was elected by players ranked 1-50.
The 10-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, who helped his team win the World Tennis League during the off-season, is one of the fieriest players in tennis. He repeatedly struggles to control his emotions during matches.
However, Rublev's personality off the court drastically differs from during matches. The Madrid Open champion is among the most popular players on the ATP Tour with many friends, and the 27-year-old's election to the Council is unsurprising.
Pedro Martinez, Mackenzie McDonald, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, and Dusan Lajovic were the other singles representatives, and Andrea Vavassori and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela were elected doubles representatives.
Jaume Munar and Matthew Ebden, who have at-large Status, Nicolas Pereira, an alumni, and Federico Ricci, a coaching representative, were the others elected to the ATP Player Advisory Council, completing the 12 members.
The Council will likely have many issues to discuss in the next two years, including the tennis calendar, the number of mandatory tournaments, and the number of times balls are changed during the season.
