Grand Slam Council: Musetti in, Sinner and Alcaraz out

Lorenzo Musetti is the only Italian among the twelve members of the Grand Slam Player Council, whose composition was confirmed on Monday, September 28, by sources close to the project to AFP, the day after the Laver Cup in London. Six men and six women: alongside Musetti are Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Arthur Rinderknech, while the women's side is made up of Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Maria Sakkari and Iva Jovic.

The absent names carry as much weight as the ones on the list. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both left out, along with Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. Alcaraz had already made clear over the summer that he wanted to keep his distance from the initiative, focusing only on tournaments and training. No official explanation has been given for Sinner's absence.

The council was announced on August 20 by the four Majors, on the eve of the US Open, and starts its work now that Flushing Meadows is behind it. It serves as a direct channel between players and organizers on sporting issues at the Slam tournaments: from prize money to protecting players lower down the rankings who struggle to cover the costs of a season. Jessica Pegula and Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club, had publicly backed its creation back in August.

Musetti's selection says something about the standing the Tuscan has built in the locker room, beyond his ranking. Sitting alongside him are Djokovic, who has been active on player representation for years, and Iva Jovic, eighteen years old, who reached a career-high ranking of number 13 on September 21. How much a table without Sinner and Alcaraz will actually matter remains to be seen.