New ATP boss Brad Drewett says the men's game is in its "best-ever" shape despite player complaints.
New ATP boss Drewett plays down 'issues'
New ATP boss Brad Drewett says the men's game is in its "best-ever" shape despite player "issues" over the calendar and prize money.
The Australian, who became the organisation's executive chairman and president on January 1, said he was already working with the players in a bid to address concerns raised, particularly over the ATP World Tour's schedule.
However, he insisted that overall men's tennis had never been in such a good position.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Drewett said: "There's always some issues around. There is some frustration on certain points within the game. Nothing's ever perfect in any world, and certainly not in the tennis world.
"I heard the players loud and clear about their issues. They're obviously a very, very important part of this organisation.
"But the truth is right now the men's game is in an unbelievable position - arguably the best ever."
There have been suggestions that some players would be prepared to strike over the issue of the calendar with many feeling the season is too long, although two weeks have been cut from the schedule in 2012.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have also been at loggerheads, with the Spaniard accusing the Swiss of not doing enough to address the issues.
Drewett, a former top-40 player himself, added: "I've read the articles and I think they're quite sensational in lots of ways.
Responsibility
"We had a player meeting the other night, it's not often the players get together in one room. Certainly the players were very vocal about what was on their mind.
"A lot of the issues that are around now have been around for a while. They're not new issues.
"You hear discussions about scheduling, about prize money, and I heard the players very clearly the other night about that topic. It's my responsibility to represent them.
"As I've said, they're an important part of this organisation. I plan to make sure that their views are heard and represented at every level of the game."
Drewett feels his job will be made significantly easier by having a group of players who understand and are willing to address the issues at hand.
He said: "I feel very fortunate coming into this job having such an engaged group of top players.
"I can't remember ever in the history of the game, maybe right back at the beginning of pro tennis it was different, but certainly in the last 20 or 30 years, when you've had a player like Roger Federer as the president (of the player council), Rafa as the vice-president.
"You have people like Novak (Djokovic) and Andy (Murray), they're all engaged.
"I've just been around the last few days, they all want to talk. They want to talk in great detail about the issues.
"These guys, because they're engaged and they care, their level of understanding about the detail of any issue, whether it be the grand slams, scheduling, calendar, prize money, is like it's never been before. I see that as a positive.
"It's great to be able to sit down with players who really get it. They really do get it. They understand and that's a great starting point."
