London-based de Villiers rushed to the Riveria after Federer and Nadal complained in unison this week of players being left out of the information loop.
MONTE CARLO: Roger Federer put negotiations with the ATP over player grievances on the back burner as he blasted Lee Hyung-taik 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday.
The Swiss ace spent 64 minutes securing victory over the South Korean, then revealed some of the details from a two-hour closed-door meeting on Wednesday with under-fire ATP supremo Etienne de Villiers.
The meeting was also attended by number two Rafael Nadal, who left early because of fatigue, Player Council president Ivan Ljubicic and Spain's Carlos Moya.
London-based de Villiers rushed to the Riveria after Federer and Nadal complained in unison this week of players being left out of the information loop.
The ATP is set to unveil a revamp of the circuit from 2009, with Monte Carlo and Hamburg looking like being dropped from top Masters Series status.
With his diplomatic Swiss roots clearly in evidence, the world number one however affirmed the players will not simply be dictated to.
"What we want is that we also have some say, I think we made that point very clear," he said prior to also meeting with International Tennis Federation head Francesco Ricci Bitti, whose organisation controls the Davis Cup.
"We (the players) are speaking a lot in the locker room to each other now to see what the further plan is. For now we need to get together and see, are we a happy with what Etienne said and what Francesco is going to tell me? It is more to listen and to analyse from there."
He said of the two-hour private session, which ended in the early hours yesterday: "We brought our points across from the players' side and he did his.
"From that standpoint it was a good meeting. No screaming, it was a normal meeting. We've had different ones before, I can tell you that."
Federer, the winner of ten Grand Slam titles, is gearing his season towards a possible conquest of the elusive Roland Garros crown. He lost the French Open final a year ago to Nadal.
A potential high-profile, quarter-final clash with teenaged Serb ace Novak Djokovic was ended by David Ferrer, the Spanish 12th seed upsetting the number six 7-5, 6-4.
Djokovic had arrived as the teenager to watch after winning the Miami title on hardcourt three weeks ago and reaching the top ten for the first time to stand a current seventh in the ATP rankings.
Czech tenth seed Tomas Berdych beat Spain's number five Tommy Robredo 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to set up a last-eight match with Swede Robin Soderling, who eliminated big-hitting Max Mirnyi from Belarus 7-6 (7/5), 6-2.
Holder and second seed Nadal was aiming to extend his unbeaten clay streak to 64 matches as he faced Belgian Kristof Vliegen later.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}