OPINION: WHY NOVAK DJOKOVIC IS RIGHT TO ABANDON THE FAILING PTPA LEADERSHIP NOW
Novak Djokovic has officially stepped away from the PTPA. Explore why the tennis legend cited transparency and governance issues.
Novak Djokovic just made his first major move of 2026. He’s stepping away from the Professional Tennis Players Association, the group he helped create to shake up the sport’s old guard.
Back when he and Vasek Pospisil launched the PTPA, their big idea was simple: give players a real say in how tennis is run. But from day one, tennis’s governing bodies kept shutting the door in their faces, blocking their efforts at every turn. That’s been a huge frustration for Djokovic, who figured his reputation would help push through some real change.
One of the main things the PTPA pushed for was better prize money for lower-ranked players. Whenever critics accused him of just looking out for himself, Djokovic fired right back—he’s always made it clear the goal is to lift up everyone in the sport, not pad his own stats.
Last year, when the PTPA got into a legal fight with the game’s power brokers, even Djokovic seemed caught off guard. Things only got tenser from there, and now, after weeks of speculation, he’s made it official: he’s out.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association,” Djokovic posted on X. “This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented. I’m proud of the vision Vasek and I had—giving players a stronger, independent voice—but my values just don’t line up with where the organization is heading now. I’m going to focus on my tennis, my family, and on giving back to the sport in a way that feels right to me. I wish everyone involved the best, but this chapter is closed for me.”
So yeah, Djokovic might be done with the PTPA, but he hasn’t lost his drive to change tennis. If anything, the fire’s still burning. Back in October at the Joy Forum in Saudi Arabia, he spoke straight from the heart about the challenges players face. He called tennis “a big monopoly” that’s been locked down for decades. That’s what pushed him and Pospisil to create the PTPA in the first place.
“Now we have the PTPA,” he said, “but we still don’t have a real seat at the table. That’s just how the system is. I’m always searching for ways to innovate. Thanks to my career, I’ve got a platform and a mic, so I can speak out—even if it ruffles a few feathers. Honestly, I don’t care. Tennis has given me everything, and I want to give something back. What can I do for the players? How can I help push for real change? Sure, a lot of people won’t like it, but I sleep well knowing I’m doing the right thing. My heart’s in the right place. The fire just keeps going. As long as you’re alive, you want to make the world better.”
Now, everyone’s watching to see what Djokovic does next. Will he keep pushing the sport’s leaders for change in his final playing years—and maybe beyond? One thing’s certain: with Djokovic gone, the PTPA loses its biggest star and its biggest threat to tennis’s old power structures. The authorities can breathe a little easier, at least for now.
JANNIK SINNER DESTROYS ZVEREV IN MADRID TO WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT MASTERS TITLE
Explore the data behind Sinner’s 28-match win streak and his quest to sweep all nine Masters titles at the upcoming Italian Open.
All week in Madrid, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois kept popping up in the stands at the Caja Mágica. They really seemed to be enjoying the matches, but they had to skip Sunday’s final. Real Madrid had their own business at Espanyol that night. Honestly, they didn’t miss much. Jannik Sinner needed just 57 minutes to obliterate Alexander Zverev in the second-fastest Masters 1000 final ever (if you don’t count retirements). Blink, and you’d miss it.
Numbers tell the whole tale here. Sinner just became the first guy to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row. That’s a streak that began last season in Paris and now covers Indian Wells and Miami on hard courts, plus Monte Carlo and Madrid on clay. Not even Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer pulled this off in their best years.
Sinner’s last real Masters loss? A third-round retirement in Shanghai. Now he’s on a 28-match win streak at Masters events. When he heads home for the Italian Open in Rome, he'll have a shot at topping Federer’s best run (29) and chasing Djokovic’s record of 31 straight wins. If he takes his first title in Rome, he’ll join Djokovic as the only men to sweep all nine current Masters tournaments. And after all that, Sinner just shrugged and said he doesn’t play for records. Imagine if he did.
Zverev, once again, had to find the words to sum up Sinner’s dominance, and honestly, it sounded bleak for everyone else in the draw. “Today I would have lost to anybody, to be very fair. I think today I played an awful tennis match,” Zverev admitted. And then: “There’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else. And there’s a big gap between Alcaraz, me, maybe Novak, and everybody else. There are two gaps right now.”
That’s not encouraging for the competition, especially with Sinner heading to Roland Garros as the top favourite for a Grand Slam since Djokovic’s dominant Wimbledon run four years ago. Carlos Alcaraz, last year’s Paris champ, is out with a wrist injury, so Zverev becomes the second seed. But Zverev just got destroyed, 6-1, 6-2, in his best clay final, and he sounded convinced Sinner is a class apart. Sure, Djokovic beat Sinner at the Australian Open, but he hasn’t played since March, and he’s about to turn 39.
You really have to give Sinner credit for this run. It’s not flashy, but his consistency, resetting point by point, staying sharp every week, is rare. Tennis makes it hard to stay locked in, and everyone would do it if it were easy.
Sinner downplays the records and comparisons. “I cannot compare myself with Rafa, Roger, Novak,” he said in Madrid. “What they did is something incredible. I don’t play for these records. I play for myself, for my team, because they know what’s behind the scenes. Also, my family never changed because of my success… Sure, these are great numbers, but it takes discipline and sacrifice.”
He keeps it grounded: "There are daily routines. I’m the one who has to wake up and be ready every morning. I love the journey. I want to give myself the best chance to be my best. Not for records. What those greats did and what Novak still does is incredible. I can’t compare to them.”
But nobody can argue with what Sinner’s doing right now. He kicked off the season by becoming the first to win the Indian Wells-Miami double without dropping a set. He caught Alcaraz and took the No. 1 spot back in Monte Carlo. Now, with Alcaraz sidelined, Sinner’s got a real shot at making a historic run through Rome and Roland Garros. Outside of Djokovic, the rest just don’t seem to matter at the moment.
ITALIAN OPEN SEEDS FINALIZED WITH SABALENKA, RYBAKINA, AND GAUFF LEADING ENTRY LIST
Jasmine Paolini defends her Italian Open title against a field led by Swiatek and Sabalenka, with massive ranking points at stake.
The Italian Open is the next big stop in the WTA 1000 clay season, right after Madrid. Here, Jasmine Paolini and Coco Gauff have a lot riding on their performances – lots of ranking points at stake. Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, though, have a little more breathing room when it comes to their points.
Madrid wrapped up recently, with Marta Kostyuk taking down Mirra Andreeva to grab her first title at this level. There’s barely been time to catch a breath, but the action picks right back up in Rome on May 5. The top seeds won’t play until the second round, which gives them a little extra rest.
Aryna Sabalenka is the No. 1 seed. Behind her, you’ve got Rybakina, Gauff, Swiatek, Pegula, Anisimova, Svitolina, Andreeva, Paolini, and Victoria Mboko rounding out the top 10. Thanks to her big win in Madrid, Kostyuk is up to a career-high No. 15. Still, since Rome’s seedings were finalised on April 20, she’ll be seeded 23rd.
Let’s talk about points and what’s at risk in Rome. The WTA ranking system looks back over the past 52 weeks; it adds the points you earn now and subtracts the ones from the same tournament a year ago, right as the new event kicks off.
Jasmine Paolini has 1,000 points to defend; she’s the reigning champion. Her ranking has dropped to No. 9, and unless she makes another deep run, she could fall out of the top 10 after Rome.
Coco Gauff is defending 650 points from last year’s runner-up finish. After Madrid, she slipped out of her No. 3 spot and could slide a bit more if she doesn’t go far in Rome.
Zheng Qinwen has 390 points on the line from her semi-final run last year, where she shocked top seed Sabalenka. Coming off a long injury, she’s still trying to get back to full strength. Dropping those points will probably push her out of the top 50.
Peyton Stearns, now ranked 50th, is in a similar spot; she made the semis last year with wins over some big names but needs points to hold her spot.
Sabalenka, Svitolina, Andreeva, and Shnaider are all defending 215 points after quarter-final runs. If Sabalenka goes out early and Rybakina has a deep run, the gap between them at the very top could shrink a lot.
Kostyuk, Osaka, Raducanu, and Ostapenko have 120 points each to defend from last year’s fourth round. Kostyuk especially has a shot to break into the top 10 with another great showing, while Raducanu needs points if she wants a seeded spot at Roland Garros.
Victoria Mboko worked her way through qualifying last year and then lost early, picking up 65 points in Rome and earning more at another event. This year, she’s already set for some points before Rome even begins.
Iga Swiatek, six-time major champ, leads Gauff by 199 points going into Rome, and once last year’s points come off, that lead jumps to 784. Swiatek lost early in Rome last year, so she’s only dropping 65 points.
Alex Eala only has 10 points to defend after a first-round exit. She’ll get those back just by playing this year, but if she wants to be seeded for the French Open, she needs a strong run.
For Elena Rybakina, it’s simple; she doesn’t lose any points from last year since the Italian Open isn’t one of her countable events this time. So Sabalenka starts Rome with a 1,340-point lead over her. But if Rybakina wins in Rome and Sabalenka loses early, that lead shrinks to just over 300 points heading into Roland Garros. Things could get interesting.
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