The Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic, announced a series of legal actions against both men’s and women’s tennis’ governing bodies citing “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare”.
The tennis union has filed papers suing the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in a series of actions in the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union.
Criticising the schedule, ranking systems and control over image rights, the 163-page lawsuit says “professional tennis players are stuck in a rigged game” which gives them “limited control over their own careers and brands”.
PTPA was co-founded by Novak Djokovic along with Vasek Pospisil and Nick Kyrgios in 2020 with an aim to increase the power of the players, and reduce the control of the governing bodies.
The body said it was acting “on behalf of the entire player population”.
“Tennis is broken,” said Ahmad Nassar, the executive director of the PTPA.
“Behind the glamorous veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardises their health and safety.
“We have exhausted all options for reform through dialogue, and the governing bodies have left us no choice but to seek accountability through the courts.
“Fixing these systemic failures isn’t about disrupting tennis – it’s about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come.”
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Meanwhile, the ATP Tour strongly rejected the PTPA’s claims, declaring the case to be “entirely without merit” and promising to “vigorously defend” its position.
It accused the players’ union of having “consistently chosen division and distraction through misinformation over progress” and said the ATP “remains committed to working in the best interests of the game”.
The WTA on the other hand said it will defend its position and called the legal action “both regrettable and misguided”.
