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BBC News
19-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Players v tennis tours: why the lawsuit and what next?
The Professional Tennis Players' Association has, "on behalf of the entire player population", begun legal action against tennis' governing bodies in the US, the UK and the other things, the association is unhappy with the prize money formula designed by the tours, the "unsustainable" 11-month schedule and "invasive searches of personal devices".The union, co-founded by Novak Djokovic five years ago, cites "anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare" in its the ATP and the WTA Tour have defended their record, pointing to the prize money and security they offer Sport takes a look at how it came to this - and the prospects of a settlement that could avoid the type of split witnessed in golf when the LIV Tour was created. What is the PTPA and why was it formed? On 30 August 2020, about 70 players - all wearing masks - posed for a socially distanced photograph on the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US heralded the start of the PTPA and featured Novak Djokovic in the foreground. He had been advocating for a player union for some time and was announced as a co-founder alongside the 2014 Wimbledon doubles champion Vasek by the structure of the ATP and WTA Tours - which look after the interests of both players and tournaments - Djokovic wanted an organisation that worked exclusively for the prize money was a major goal - especially at the Grand Slams, where he and others believe not enough of the revenue generated ends up in the pockets of the performers. Why is Novak Djokovic not listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit? Pospisil and Nick Kyrgios are among 12 players listed as plaintiffs alongside the PTPA in the papers filed at the US District Court in New was listed as a plaintiff on a draft version seen by BBC Sport, but his name did not appear on the official papers."Vasek [Pospisil] and I were on the phone with Novak bright and early," the PTPA's executive director Ahmad Nassar explained on Tuesday."So he's certainly very involved, very up to speed and he's still a sitting member of our executive committee."To some extent, we collectively made the decision that this is about much more than one player and we are realistic in knowing that there is this inclination to default to the biggest name."And so we wanted to allow other players to step up - this is about all the players and not just now, but also in the future." What are the PTPA's main grievances? The PTPA claims there is collusion between the tours and the tournaments, which suppresses competition between tournaments and may artificially restrict prize association also wants to bring to an end the "unsustainable" schedule and prevent "invasive searches of personal devices and random middle-of-the-night drug tests" by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).So, if successful, how does the PTPA envisage a player's world looking in future?"Prize money is increased, of course," Nassar says."But what we really want to focus on is you get one ball per swing. Grass court, one ball. Hard court, one ball. Clay court, one ball."None of this week-to-week variance that puts undue and unnecessary pressure on wrists and elbows and shoulders."A season schedule that not only is shorter and makes sense but allows for meaningful rest and recovery for the players, and a better voice and representation that means we don't have to resort to these extreme measures every five or 10 years." What are the tours already doing in these areas? The ATP says prize money has increased by $70m (£54m) in the past five years, and can point to the $28.5m (£22m) of prize money available to emerging and lower ranked players on the Challenger Tour this year.A profit-sharing model was introduced in 2022 and ensures players receive 50% of the profits generated by the ATP's nine Masters 1,000 ATP's prize money formula sets a minimum level for different categories of tournaments. For a Masters 1,000 event with a 96-man draw, for example, that figure is $9.193m (£7.1m).There is, in theory, no maximum, although if an owner wants to raise prize money by, say, 50% they would need to do so evenly across the WTA says $221m (£170.5m) of prize money was distributed last year - $42m (£32m) more than in ITIA's out-of-competition drug tests take place between 5am and 11pm. Players have to provide a one-hour time window when they will be available for every day of the must also hand over their mobile phones to investigators, as this is often a vital source of evidence when there is suspicion of requests to investigate a player's phone must first be signed off by the ITIA's investigations director. Is there any common ground? Almost everyone in tennis agrees the season should be shorter, and this was at the centre of last year's discussions - which are yet to bear fruit - about the formation of a Premium Tour. The idea came initially from Tennis Australia and its chief executive Craig Tiley. Various models were discussed, with the goal of creating a season which finished in October and featured just the four Grand Slams and 10 or 11 other events before the end-of-season tour finals, the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King ATP and the WTA also believe matches should not finish so late and there should be greater consistency in the tennis balls tours announced at the start of last year that matches should not go on court after 11pm, although in "exceptional circumstances, a tournament may request waivers based on local cultural traditions, weather conditions, or other extenuating situations".The choice of which ball to use is now being made centrally by the ATP, rather than by individual tournaments. Anomalies still exist, although this is partly explained by commercial agreements which still have years to run. Could this be settled out of court? The PTPA's Nassar says there is no intention to rip apart the sport, in the way the LIV Tour has divided golf. He goes so far as to say settling out of court is one of the association's goals."The goal is not to litigate this to the end," Nassar says."We are absolutely prepared to do that. We've built a real organisation, we've built a war chest to be able to see this through."But what we want is to get everybody to the table to reform the sport the way that many of them have already spoken about."Those talks will not be easy to organise. There is a lot of bad blood between the PTPA and the tours. On Tuesday, the ATP accused the PTPA of consistently choosing "division and distraction through misinformation over progress"."Happy to add defamation to our lawsuits," was Nassar's response on social ATP will have confidence in its legal position after winning an anti-trust case brought by the German Tennis Federation in 2008 and so some of the PTPA's demands may need to be addressed by a is certain is that this will be a very costly exercise for all sides, which will financially affect the tours and the players for as long it lasts.
The Independent
18-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Novak Djokovic's player union launches legal action over ‘inhumane' treatment
The player organisation set up by Novak Djokovic has launched legal action against tennis' governing bodies. Founded by Djokovic and Canada's Vasek Pospisil in 2021, the Professional Tennis Players Association cites its mission as supporting and safeguarding professional tennis players. But it has found driving change from outside the system very difficult and is now taking a legal route against the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees the sport's anti-doping and anti-corruption system. Twelve current and former players, including Djokovic, Pospisil and Nick Kyrgios, are listed as plaintiffs along with the PTPA. A statement read: 'Following years of good-faith efforts to reform professional tennis, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has taken decisive legal action. 'Today, the PTPA, alongside over a dozen professional tennis players and on behalf of the entire player population, and renowned international law firm and historical player advocates Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, initiated a series of legal actions in the US, UK and EU against the sport's governing bodies – the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). 'The lawsuits expose systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare that have persisted for decades.' Among the PTPA's complaints are the suppression of competition between tournaments, which it says reduces prize money, a draconian ranking points system, an unsustainable schedule and financial exploitation of players. It also accused the governing bodies of disregarding player welfare by forcing athletes to compete late at night and in extreme heat, while the PTPA branded anti-doping practices an invasion of privacy. Pospisil, a former Wimbledon doubles champion and quarter-finalist in singles, said: 'This is not just about money, it's about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity. 'I'm one of the more fortunate players and I've still had to sleep in my car when travelling to matches early on in my career. Imagine an NFL player being told that he had to sleep in his car at an away game? It's absurd and would never happen, obviously. No other major sport treats its athletes this way. 'The governing bodies force us into unfair contracts, impose inhumane schedules, and punish us for speaking out. The legal actions taken today are about fixing tennis for today's players and future generations. 'It's time for accountability, real reform, and a system that protects and empowers players. All stakeholders deserve a sport that operates with fairness and integrity.'
The Independent
18-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Novak Djokovic's player union launches legal action against tennis tours
The player organisation set up by Novak Djokovic has launched legal action against tennis' governing bodies. Founded by Djokovic and Canada's Vasek Pospisil in 2021, the Professional Tennis Players Association cites its mission as supporting and safeguarding professional tennis players. But it has found driving change from outside the system very difficult and is now taking a legal route against the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees the sport's anti-doping and anti-corruption system. Twelve current and former players, including Djokovic, Pospisil and Nick Kyrgios, are listed as plaintiffs along with the PTPA. A statement read: 'Following years of good-faith efforts to reform professional tennis, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has taken decisive legal action. 'Today, the PTPA, alongside over a dozen professional tennis players and on behalf of the entire player population, and renowned international law firm and historical player advocates Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, initiated a series of legal actions in the US, UK and EU against the sport's governing bodies – the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). 'The lawsuits expose systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare that have persisted for decades.' Among the PTPA's complaints are the suppression of competition between tournaments, which it says reduces prize money, a draconian ranking points system, an unsustainable schedule and financial exploitation of players. It also accused the governing bodies of disregarding player welfare by forcing athletes to compete late at night and in extreme heat, while the PTPA branded anti-doping practices an invasion of privacy. Pospisil, a former Wimbledon doubles champion and quarter-finalist in singles, said: 'This is not just about money, it's about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity. 'I'm one of the more fortunate players and I've still had to sleep in my car when travelling to matches early on in my career. Imagine an NFL player being told that he had to sleep in his car at an away game? It's absurd and would never happen, obviously. No other major sport treats its athletes this way. 'The governing bodies force us into unfair contracts, impose inhumane schedules, and punish us for speaking out. The legal actions taken today are about fixing tennis for today's players and future generations. 'It's time for accountability, real reform, and a system that protects and empowers players. All stakeholders deserve a sport that operates with fairness and integrity.'
Telegraph
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Djokovic-formed players union launches global revolt against ‘corrupt, illegal and abusive' tours
Tennis has been thrown into upheaval after a group of players launched a worldwide legal suit against what it called a 'corrupt, abusive and illegal' system. This potentially landmark case mainly focusses on the calendar – with its short lay-off and restrictive approach to outside exhibitions – and on the punishing working conditions which leave so many players struggling with injuries or mental fatigue. The class-action lawsuit – which is being filed in the USA, the UK and the European Union on Tuesday – has been brought by five names including former Wimbledon doubles champion Vasek Pospisil and former top-30 player Sorana Cirstea. But the key backers of this case are the Professional Tennis Players Association – the rival players union formed by Novak Djokovic and Pospisil in 2020. In October, Telegraph Sport reported exclusively on how PTPA chief executive Ahmad Nassar had – in his words – engaged 'multiple outside counsels to really dig in and be overt and aggressive on the many flaws of the current system.' Today, that work has reached the next stage – direct legal confrontation with the three main tours: the ATP (who deal with the leading men), the WTA (the equivalent body for women), and the ITF (who run second-tier events). In a statement, Nassar said that 'Tennis is broken … 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.' He was supported by Pospisil, the Canadian former world No 25 who has become a locker-room figurehead for the PTPA. 'This is not just about money – it's about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity,' Pospisil said. 'I'm one of the more fortunate players and I've still had to sleep in my car when travelling to matches … No other major sport treats its athletes this way. The governing bodies force us into unfair contracts, impose inhumane schedules, and punish us for speaking out.' The suit covers numerous areas including: Suppression of rival tournaments by the tours Fixing of prize-money so that tournaments cannot offer more than a specified amount Use of rankings points to discourage players from appearing in rival events, including the Olympics An exhausting 11-month schedule with hardly any downtime Regular scheduling over-runs which result in matches being played in the small hours of the morning The tours now face a complicated and potentially costly decision over whether to fight the case across three different global jurisdictions. The ATP probably have the financial reserves to do so, but the other two are less well resourced. The antitrust lawsuit follows a similar case in golf where 11 professional players, including Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, took legal action against the PGA Tour following the creation of LIV Golf. The legal complaint was dropped in June 2023 upon the 'merger deal' that the two parties agreed, although a full resolution is yet to be reached despite the intervention of Donald Trump, who has hosted recent peace talks at the White House. Nassar insists that he isn't looking to bankrupt the tours. Instead, he wants to bring all parties back to the negotiating table, having demonstrated that he is serious about change. 'I would settle tomorrow,' he told Telegraph Sport, 'if we could get a real commitment to create a better environment for the players'. This is not the first time that the tennis authorities have faced anti-trust suits, but in the past they have come from rival operators rather than the players who – in theory – hold a 50 per cent share in the ATP and WTA organisations. This very structure – which lumps together tournaments and workforce in an uneasy compromise – is part of the problem. It prevents the two parties from thrashing out collective bargaining agreements on pay and working conditions, as would happen in any normal sport. The push from the players comes after a year that saw a great deal of political manoeuvring with zero end result. In the early months of 2024, the four grand-slam events tried to float a new and streamlined 'Premium Tour' model, but ran into concerted resistance from the ATP and WTA. More recently, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi has been pushing to bring together the commercial rights of both men's and women's tours into one combined organisation. But this too has run into opposition from vested interests. 'The fact that the slams and the ATP have both been trying to change the structure shows that they know it is suboptimal,' Nassar said. 'But from the perspective of the players, whose careers are too short, change needs to happen now.' The most recent legal precedent came in 2008 when the ATP reorganised the calendar and downgraded a tournament in Hamburg, which responded with a lawsuit on anti-competitive grounds. The ATP won the case. According to an administrator familiar with the case, 'The ATP's defence relied on what I'd call the rule of reason. A lot of the rules on the tours are in theory anti-competitive but they were created to provide a rational organisation of the sport.' Trump administration open to negotiations – just like Gaza, Ukraine and golf The timing of the PTPA's legal suit is connected to the change of administration in the White House, insiders suggest. Not only is the new Republican administration likely to create a more favourable environment for anti-trust suits than the Democrats, given its disdain of red tape, but Donald Trump himself is clearly interested in playing a role on the sporting stage. Since his return to power, Trump has already held three meetings with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who chairs not only the LIV Golf tour but also its financial backers the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. Those talks, which have also involved players Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, have been intended to broker a peace deal with the two circuits. However, they have yet to reach a breakthrough in unifying the divided sport. Now, according to sources, people connected to the Trump administration have expressed an interest in getting involved in the tennis case. We might even suggest that Trump sees the growing rift between tennis players and administrators as another messy row that he can wade into, equating it not only with the golf schemozzle but also wider geopolitical issues in Ukraine and Gaza. To Trump, these are all opportunities for grandstanding, regardless of their very different subject matter. Whether his involvement is likely to help bring the rival parties to an agreement is, however, another question. There is also a possible personal connection between Trump and the PTPA in the form of Bill Ackman, the billionaire fund manager who is one of the president's many super-rich backers. A tennis enthusiast, Ackman is understood to have helped support the PTPA during its developmental stage. More broadly, Trump is interested in the soft power of sport. Last month, he was the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. Last year, he challenged his predecessor Joe Biden to face him on the golf course during a chaotic presidential debate. Trump has never bought a major sports franchise, but he did own the New Jersey Generals of the USFL – a short-lived rival to the NFL – and this is where he became close to the Republicans' future Georgia senate candidate Herschel Walker, a star running back who is now Trump's ambassador to the Bahamas. While golf is Trump's favourite sport, he played tennis with Serena Williams in 2015 to mark the opening of a new set of courts at one of his golf courses. At last year's criminal trial for falsifying financial records over payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels, Trump's phone records were revealed, and Williams turned out to be on his frequent call list. Williams did not seem happy to be asked about this detail during an interview with the New York Times, however. 'I talk to a lot of presidents,' she replied, 'I spoke to Barack, I spoke to the Clintons. I spoke to every president since I've been alive, including Ronald Reagan, I'll have you know.' The ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA have been approached for a response.
