Djokovic, Murray Brothers Among Players Elected To ATP Player Council

The new ATP Player Council, as voted by players, was announced on Saturday evening at the general player meeting at Wimbledon.

The Council, elected for a two-year term, includes the world’s top two ranked singles players Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, as well as the likes of Gilles Simon, Kevin Anderson, Rajeev Ram and Sergiy Stakhovsky.

World No. 1 doubles player Jamie Murray is also elected, alongside his doubles partner Bruno Soares, meaning it will be the first time that two brothers are to serve on the Council at the same time.

Members elected by their peers to serve on the ATP Player Council through June 2018 are:

* 1-50 Singles: Kevin Anderson, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Gilles Simon
* 51-100 Singles: Yen-Hsun Lu, Rajeev Ram
* 1-100 Doubles: Jamie Murray, Bruno Soares
* At-Large: Marcelo Melo, Sergiy Stakhovsky
* Alumni: Colin Dowdeswell
* Coach: Claudio Pistolesi

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.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “Congratulations to all those that have been elected to the new Council. It’s great news to have such a strong group of players involved as we look to take the ATP World Tour to new heights in years ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Council members, led by Eric Butorac as President, for all their hard work and dedication over the past two years.”

Djokovic said: “I am humbled to be elected by my colleagues to be on the Players Council. It is a big responsibility and I know how much all of us players care for our sport to thrive and grow. I see this as an opportunity and I hope to fulfil the expectations of my colleagues.”

Andy Murray said: “It’s the first time I’m getting involved in something like this and I’m looking forward to getting started with the rest of the guys on the Council. We’ve seen a lot of growth on the ATP World Tour in recent years and hopefully we can continue that.”

Bruno Soares said: “I’m very happy to be elected for a second time. These past two years were a great experience. We were able to learn a lot and see the sport from a different perspective. I hope I can keep contributing. The players have been very committed to helping to improve our sport, and I’m happy to be a part of that.”

Jamie Murray said: “I’m excited and looking forward to working hard and putting across our points of view and get some good things done for the Tour over the next two years. I’ve been around the Tour for a while now, and thought it was time to put my name forward. I think it’s important the top players get involved and it makes the voice of the Council stronger.”

Sergiy Stakhovsky said: “I really appreciate the support of the players and hopefully we can continue some of the things we’ve achieved with previous Councils. I think it’s important for us to have a very strong Council and it’s great that we have Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic coming on. I believe there’s greater things ahead of us, not only with this Council but in the future with the new generations coming up.”

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.

Earlier this week, Justin Gimelstob was re-elected by the outgoing Player Council as Player Board representative from the Americas Group region. Gimelstob will serve another three-year term starting January 1, 2017. The ATP Board of Directors comprises three Player Representatives, three Tournament Representatives, and ATP Executive Chairman and President Kermode.