PTPA takes ATP, WTA, ITF, ITIA to court with antitrust suit tours 'reject' as 'misguided'

The Professional Tennis Players Association issued a press release Tuesday morning to announce that it has filed a series of legal actions against the major governing bodies in the sport. The defendants include the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The latter oversees the game’s anti-doping and anti-corruption efforts.

“Tennis is broken,” Ahmad Nassar, Executive Director of the PTPA, said in the press release. “Behind the glamorous veneer that the Defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardizes 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.”

The ATP released a statement in response, saying in part that “while ATP has remained focused on delivering reforms that benefit players at multiple levels, the PTPA has consistently chosen division and distraction through misinformation over progress. Five years on from its inception in 2020, the PTPA has struggled to establish a meaningful role in tennis, making its decision to pursue legal action at this juncture unsurprising.

“We strongly reject the premise of the PTPA’s claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position. ATP remains committed to working in the best interests of the game - towards continued growth, financial stability, and the best possible future for our players, tournaments, and fans.”

The WTA also released a statement, saying in part that “the PTPA’s action is both regrettable and misguided, and we will defend our position vigorously in due course.

“The WTA is a nonprofit, membership organization that exists to advance women’s tennis on behalf of players, tournaments and fans. WTA players, as equal members alongside tournaments, have an essential and influential voice in the governance of the WTA. Every decision taken at the WTA Board level includes the input of players via their elected Board representatives, and athletes receive substantial financial rewards and other benefits from participation in the WTA.”

The PTPA was founded in 2019 by Novak Djokovic and his fellow pro, Canada’s Vasek Pospisil. Their mission was to create an association dedicated solely to the well-being and interests of players in a profession that does not allow unionization. Since the start of the Open Era, pro tennis has been run by various partnerships between the players, tournaments and administrators from the named defendants.

The plaintiffs allege that the defendants “operate as a cartel by implementing a number of draconian, interlocking anti-competitive restraints and abusive practices.” Those efforts are said to include a collusion to reduce competition and pay “artificially low compensation” to the players, and to prevent potential competitors from entering the market.

Also alleged: A collusion to cap prize money; a “draconian” rankings system that dictates, among other things, which tournaments a player can compete in; the imposition of an “unsustainable” rankings system; disregard for the health and well-being of the players; financial exploitation and violations of privacy rights, as exemplified by random drug tests and the confiscation of players’ cell phones for the purpose of searching them.

In short, this may be the first significant shot fired in a new war in a sport famous for its conflicts.