The Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the men’s and women’s tennis tours, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the sport’s integrity agency. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, accuses these organizations of acting as a “cartel” and claims they control players’ pay and working conditions in a way that violates state and federal antitrust laws.
The PTPA argues that these governing bodies have created an environment where professional tennis is immune to normal market competition, which hinders players’ ability to earn more and stifles fair competition. The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial and aims to increase players’ earnings, claiming that the organizations overseeing the four Grand Slam tournaments—Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open—along with other professional events, limit both prize money and players’ ability to profit off the court.
Both the WTA Tour and ATP Tour released individual statements on Tuesday, asserting that they would “vigorously” defend themselves against the lawsuit.
The WTA responded by highlighting its commitment to a $400 million increase in player compensation in recent years, calling the PTPA’s lawsuit a “baseless legal case” that is “regrettable and misguided.” Meanwhile, the ATP emphasized a “significant increase in player compensation,” including a $70 million rise over the past five years, and labeled the PTPA’s lawsuit as “entirely without merit.”
The ATP’s statement also criticized the PTPA, accusing it of prioritizing division and misinformation over progress. It pointed out that, after five years since its formation in 2020, the PTPA has struggled to establish a meaningful role in tennis, making its decision to pursue legal action at this time unsurprising.
The ITF and the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which handles doping and corruption cases, chose not to comment on the matter.
Founded in August 2020 by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, the PTPA was created to provide representation for players who are independent contractors in a sport that’s mostly individual. One of its key objectives is to evolve into a full-fledged union, capable of negotiating collective bargaining agreements like those seen in team sports.
Pospisil expressed on social media that, despite the PTPA’s numerous efforts to collaborate with the tennis tours in order to bring positive change for players, they faced resistance and a lack of meaningful action. He explained that after continuous disregard for players’ concerns, the organization had no choice but to take legal action. Pospisil emphasized that players have long been forced to accept a flawed system that neglects their well-being, undervalues their contributions, and lacks true representation.
Novak Djokovic is not named as one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
According to PTPA spokesperson David Cooper, Djokovic has already shown his support for the action. He explained that since the PTPA is listed as the plaintiff and Djokovic is part of its executive committee, it would be redundant for him to be directly involved in the lawsuit. Djokovic chose to let others take the lead, as the organization is not solely his.
Before taking legal action, the PTPA stated it had consulted with over 250 players, both men and women, including most of the top 20 players in the ATP and WTA rankings.
In a statement, PTPA executive director Ahmad Nassar criticized the current state of tennis, describing it as “broken.” He accused the governing bodies of creating an unfair system that exploits players’ talents, suppresses their earnings, and compromises their health and safety. Nassar emphasized that, after exhausting all options for reform through dialogue, the PTPA was left with no choice but to seek legal accountability. He stressed that the goal of the lawsuit is not to disrupt tennis but to fix its systemic issues for the benefit of future players and fans.