Harris: 'Federer, Nadal, Djokovic forget what it’s like to be in the lower positions'

The ATP circuit has had to deal with one of the most difficult moments in its history due to the outbreak of the global pandemic. The leaders who govern tennis have done everything possible to mitigate the effects of this crisis, opting to resume the tour in mid-August with the Washington tournament. Not all players were happy when they received the news that they should have gone to the United States, one of the countries with the highest number of infections and deaths in the world. The USTA has implemented a very rigid protocol which should allow the US Open to take place, scheduled from August 31st to September 13th in Flushing Meadows. Andrew Harris, number 204 in the ATP ranking, did not like the emergency management by the ATP, highlighting the lack of communication and transparency in this difficult moment. The Australian also talked about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Harris on the Big 3

"We had a Zoom call three weeks ago now, it was the first bit of communication we had from the ATP since coronavirus hit in March. It was good that we finally got some communication, but it took way too long. On the Zoom call, there were 400 people, all different groups: the top 100 guys, guys in the Challengers and guys 400 and below in Futures. Everyone had their own different interests … It was a bit messy with groups of different people wanting their own thing. I left that call getting nothing out of it except more questions and being more frustrated. They said that the deadline for the US Open decision was in five days. That was the first communication we had, and they’re making a big call like that five days later, for the first time, before anyone’s even heard anything. That was really frustrating and everyone was voicing their concerns" - Andrew Harris told Break Point podcast. “Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. They’ve been at the top for so long, they almost forget what it’s like to be in these lower positions. I know Federer is all for the money at the top. He might say in public what people want to hear, that he’s all for money being redistributed to lower-ranked players … but when it comes to voting, his preference is to keep it at the top. I think Novak out of the top three is pushing the agenda to give money to the lower ranks hardest. (I’m unsure) whether that’s enough, but out of those three, I think he’s doing the most. It doesn’t affect them so they’re not that invested. At world no. 1 or 2, you’ve got so much going on. Novak didn’t even join the Zoom call … He’s head of the Player Council and he’s not even on the call, didn’t show his face. There were images of him playing soccer at the same time. That’s pretty ordinary" - he finished.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3eNr6pq