New Player Advisory Council Meets In Melbourne
Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov were among eight new player members who convened on the eve of the Australian Open for the first meeting of the new ATP Player Advisory Council.
The ATP Player Advisory Council is a group of ATP members elected by their peers to serve and act as the voice of the player body in tour-wide decisions.
The newly elected members are:
- 1-50 Singles: Andrey Rublev & Grigor Dimitrov
- 51-100 Singles: Pedro Martinez & Bernabe Zapata Miralles
- 1-25 Doubles: Wesley Koolhof
- 1-75 Doubles: Harri Heliovaara
- At-Large: Pedro Cachin & Matt Ebden
- Coach Representative: Daniel Vallverdu
- Alumni Representative: Nicolas Pereira
The first ATP Player Advisory Council meeting of the year took place in Melbourne on 12 January.
Bulgaria’s former World No. 3 and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Dimitrov said: "I've been asked so many times in the past but I just never felt it was the right time and the right fit for me at the time. I think now I'm in a position where I've got a few years behind me, I have the experience on the court, I have experience with the players and I'm looking forward to it.”
Dutchman Wesley Koolhof, who last year finished year-end No. 1 with Neal Skupski in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Rankings, said: "I think it's important for the players to have a voice and someone to listen and try to make changes where we need to make changes. I personally felt like it would be a good thing to do, to listen to the players and to fight for our position, especially for doubles obviously and to make the sport a better place in general.”
The ATP Player Advisory Council meets several times a year and makes recommendations to ATP Management and the ATP Board of Directors through the Player Board representatives, whom the Council elects.
Council members appointed to a specific rankings category (e.g. 1-50 singles) are elected by player members within the same category. At-large council members are elected by a vote of all Division 1 and 2 ATP player members (up to 500 singles and 250 doubles players). The Council's coach representative is elected by ATP coach members and the Alumni representative is elected by ATP alumni members.