The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has filed lawsuits against the governing body of sports, denounced anti-competitive practices and the disregard of player welfare.
PTPA, an independent players union co-founded by Novak Jjokovic in 2019, said on Tuesday that after years of well-intentioned efforts to reform professional tennis, it was forced to take legal action to end the “exclusive control” of the sport.
In a statement, along with more than 12 players, PTPA said that it had submitted papers to the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in a New York court.
“Tennis is broken,” Ahmadnassar, executive director of PTPA, said in a statement. “Behind the attractive veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits talent, curbs income, and puts health and safety at risk.
“We have exhausted all our options for reform through dialogue. The governing body had no choice but to seek accountability through the courts. To correct these systematic failures is not to disrupt tennis, but to save it for a generation of players and fans.”
In response, the ATP accused the PTPA of choosing “division and distraction” and not having a meaningful role in sports.
“We will strongly reject the premise of the PTPA claims and will strongly defend our position, believing that this case is completely meritless,” the ATP said in a statement.
“ATP is still committed to working in the best interests of the game. Towards the continued growth, financial stability, the best possible future for players, tournaments and fans.”
The WTA described the lawsuit as “baseless” and defended the tennis record of a growing woman.
“All decisions made at the WTA board level include player input through elected board representatives, and athletes receive substantial financial compensation and other benefits from participation in the WTA,” the organization said.
Today we are at a pivotal moment in the battle for fairness and integrity in tennis. I take pride in standing with a group of fellow players, both male and female, as one of the nominated plaintiffs in a comprehensive suit targeting the ATP and WTA Tour, ITIA and ITF. …https://t.co/xohssd38vb
-vasek pospisil (@vasekpospisil) March 18, 2025
“An important day for tennis”
Meanwhile, Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios believes the lawsuit marks a “special moment” and believes it was a high time that players were heard.
Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios is among the 12 current and former players listed as plaintiffs along with the PTPA in the suit, but said the group was determined to do something for the future of the game.
“I know that me and many players are not happy with the structure and everything that’s happening in tennis right now,” Kyrgios told Sky Sports.
“This will be a special moment in tennis.
“Things had to change. It’s a big day for tennis.”
The PTPA was officially established in 2019 by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil to defend players.
According to Pospisil, PTPA spoke with over 250 players and had a lot of support, including top players.
“ATP/WTA has spread so much fear over the years that putting your name in this release is not easy. There is no denying the support of players for this initiative,” he added.
While athlete associations are common in professional sports, tennis differs in that they operate as independent contractors.
“We are the only sport in the world that does not have an association of players. That was the first goal of the PTPA to let players hear,” Kyrgios said.
“There was too much power in the ATP. You don’t have to show anything to anyone. Things have to change now.
“I don’t think players are in the end very happy with what they’ve acquired on the tour compared to other sports. That’s definitely one of the main reasons why.”
The PTPA, which describes various governing bodies as “cartels,” has also launched legal action in the UK and the European Union, imposing a “Draconian” ranking system that is forced to compete in certain tournaments by paying “artificially low compensation to professional tennis players.”
The lawsuit says it calls schedules an unsustainable schedule, saying players are played in extreme heat, and that in many cases, tennis balls chosen in tournaments are a factor in chronic injuries, and players’ privacy rights are abused by random drug testing.
Before filing the lawsuit, PTPA said it had met more than 250 players across the tour, including most of the top 20 men and women.
