'Getting insane': Aussie legend lashes Novak Djokovic
Australian tennis legend Pat Cash has slammed Novak Djokovic for his role in removing ATP Player’s Council head Chris Kermode.
Long-running tensions between the world number one and the Council chair brought the situation to a head, culminating in Kermode being voted out of the position he’d for just shy of six years.
Cash, speaking out on Twitter, admonished the ‘politics of tennis’.
“The politics in tennis is getting insane,” he wrote.
“The players’ board will have a tough time finding a better person.”
The politics in tennis is getting insane. #the players board will have a hard time finding a better person. Tennis the loser in feud between Novak Djokovic and Chris Kermode | Kevin Mitchell https://t.co/apEjRyuDd4
— Pat Cash (@TheRealPatCash) March 10, 2019
Since the vote, which The Guardian’s Kevin Mitchell reported few expected Kermode to lose, the former chair has won support from many in the tennis world.
Stan Wawrinka’s former coach Magnus Norman said on Twitter it was a “sad day for the ATP Tour. Incredible job this man did for the players and the tournaments. Nothing but respect.”
Stephen Farrow, who took over running the Queen’s Tournament after it was established by Kermode, was sharply critical of the vote.
“This is so, so disappointing. An outstanding leader who has made a huge and lasting impact on the ATP and has had so much success in so many areas of the business,” he said.
“A huge loss for the ATP and a big blow for the sport.”
Though Kermode will not continue after his current three-year contract comes to an end, no replacement has been put forward.
