Latest news with #VasekPospisil
CNN
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Tennis players' association formed by Novak Djokovic taking legal action against the sport's governing bodies
The tennis players' association that was co-founded by Novak Djokovic has filed multiple lawsuits around the world against the sport's tours and governing bodies. The suit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges the 'monopolization' of men's and women's tennis and the 'disregard' of player interests. The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) on Tuesday took legal action against the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Womens Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) – which it accuses of operating 'as a cartel.' The group said it was filing lawsuits in New York, as well as in the European Union and United Kingdom. CNN has obtained the 163-page complaint filed in New York. The wide-ranging lawsuit covers prize money, the rankings system and schedule, the investigative processes of the ITIA, and name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation among other areas. Twelve players – including PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios – are named as plaintiffs in the complaint filed in the US, which demands a jury trial. 'Tennis is broken,' Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said in a statement. '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. Fixing these systemic failures isn't about disrupting tennis – it's about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come.' The ATP said in a statement that they 'strongly reject the premise of the PTPA's claims' and 'believe the case to be entirely without merit,' while adding they will 'vigorously defend' their position. 'Since the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990, ATP has played a leading role in the global growth of men's professional tennis,' the ATP statement read. 'Throughout more than three decades, ATP's 50-50 governance structure has ensured that players and tournaments have an equal voice in shaping the sport's direction at the highest level.' The ATP added there has been a $70 million increase in player revenue over the past five years, while it now provides a minimum guaranteed income for the world's top 250 singles players, among other financial benefits across different levels of the tour. Similarly, the WTA responded by also saying it would defend its position 'vigorously,' calling the PTPA's suit 'both regrettable and misguided.' 'WTA players, as equal members alongside tournaments, have an essential and influential voice in the governance of the WTA,' the statement read. The ITIA confirmed to CNN that it is aware of the lawsuits but has no comment at this time. The ITF said in a statement that it would take time to consider an appropriate response. 'As a not for profit organisation and global guardian of the game, the ITF's purpose is to ensure the growth and sustainability of tennis as a global sport,' the statement read. 'We reinvest 90% of our income into the global development of the game, via our 213 member National Associations.' The PTPA in a news release highlighted some of its claims from the lawsuit. The PTPA release claims its legal action is 'backed overwhelmingly' by the top 250+ men's and women's players, including most of the top 20 players on each tour. In addition, the PTPA claims in the news release that the 'disregard for players' includes forcing them to compete in 100-degree Fahrenheit heat, in matches that finish at 3 a.m., and with different 'injury-inducing' tennis balls. It adds that the 11-month-long season allows players little time to recover. In its release, the PTPA also alleges that the tours 'collude' to cap prize money, prevent new competitors and tournaments from entering the market, while imposing a 'draconian' ranking points system and awarding players no compensation from NIL rights. Tennis players are only paid 17% of revenues, the PTPA claims in the news release, to several other sports which range between 35%-50%. 'This is not just about money – it's about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity,' Pospisil said in a statement. 'I'm one of the more fortunate players and I've still had to sleep in my car when traveling 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.' He added, '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 group is looking for the governing bodies be found in violation of the Sherman Act and that the court award damages to each player who is included as a plaintiff in an amount to be determined at trial. The suit also asks the court to order the governing bodies to give up profits they've received, establish a trust that from which the players can seek restitution and any other relief the court deems proper.
Miami Herald
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Players suing ATP, WTA, others: ‘Tennis is broken'
Players filed multiple lawsuits Tuesday against the ATP, WTA and other professional bodies, alleging that "tennis is broken" due to unfair business practices. The Professional Tennis Players Association and 22 players are accusing the ATP, WTA, the International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Integrity Agency of anticompetitive business practices, monopolizing pro tennis and systemic abuse. "Tennis is broken," PTPA executive director Ahmad Nassar said in a statement. "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." Twelve players are named as plaintiffs in a 162-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. They include PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil of Canada, Australia's Nick Kyrgios, Romania's Sorana Cirstea and American Reilly Opelka. According to a copy of the civil complaint obtained by ESPN, the plaintiffs accuse those organizations of working as a "cartel" and colluding to reduce competition and limit prize money. "At some point we just felt as if we didn't have another option," Pospisil told ESPN. "We didn't set out to create a player association to not affect major change. That's always been the goal from the beginning, and we have to really consider all strategies and avenues to eventually accomplish that goal." Ten other plaintiffs are involved in lawsuits filed in the United Kingdom and European Union, including Americans Ingrid Neel and Christian Harrison and France's Corentin Moutet. The civil complaint in the U.S. demands a jury trial. Nassar said the goals of the legal actions include creating a more optimized schedule, increasing revenue sharing for the players and placing a greater emphasis on players' concerns. The ATP and WTA both issued statements Tuesday. "We strongly reject the premise of the PTPA's claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit and will vigorously defend our position," the ATP said. "The PTPA's action is both regrettable and misguided, and we will defend our position vigorously in due course," the WTA said. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Professional Tennis Players Association likens ATP, WTA to a cartel in federal lawsuit
Professional Tennis Players Association likens ATP, WTA to a cartel in federal lawsuit Show Caption Hide Caption Billie Jean King on the state of U.S. tennis and women's sports Hall of Famer Billie Jean King stops by to talk all things tennis and her partnership with Dove. Sports Seriously The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has filed lawsuits against major tennis organizations, including the ATP and WTA, alleging antitrust violations and exploitation of players. The PTPA, which claims support from over 250 players, argues that these organizations act as a "cartel" to limit player earnings and control the tennis schedule. The lawsuit specifically criticizes the organizations for capping prize money, restricting off-court earning opportunities, and implementing a demanding tournament schedule that jeopardizes player health. The PTPA also accuses the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of employing overly aggressive and intrusive investigative tactics, including excessive drug testing and invasive searches. The Professional Tennis Players Association sued several organizations, including the ATP, WTA and International Tennis Federation, likening them to a "cartel," alleging several antitrust violations, systemic abuse, collusion to reduce competition, exploiting players financially, and forcing athletes to play an unsustainable schedule. Court documents filed in New York City, London and Brussels and obtained by USA TODAY Sports, name 22 players, including Vasek Pospisil, Nick Kyrgios, Sorana Cirstea and Reilly Opelka as plaintiffs, who demand a jury trial. "Tennis is broken," Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said in a statement. "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 Professional Tennis Players Association, which was co-founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Pospisil in 2019, says their mandate is to unite and mobilize "tennis players to foster transparency and fairness in professional tennis." The 162-page lawsuit filed Wednesday details some of those complaints and the PTPA says they are backed by more than 250 players, many of whom are ranked in the top 20. "Defendants do so by capping the prize money tournaments award and limiting players' ability to earn money off the court," the lawsuit says. "Rather than being determined by market forces, players' earnings are instead subject to limitations agreed upon by the defendants and their co-conspirators." Another grievance in the lawsuit is the tour schedule, which the lawsuit says the men's tour, the ATP, "schedules an annual slate of over 60 tournaments in which male players play," leaving little time to rest and recover. "Defendants do so by capping the prize money tournaments award and limiting players' ability to earn money off the court. Rather than being determined by market forces, players' earnings are instead subject to limitations agreed upon by the defendants and their co-conspirators." The lawsuit says that four Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, are co-conspirators with the defendants who use the tournaments "to enrich themselves at the players' expense, to the detriment of fans and the game." The International Tennis Integrity Agency, which says it tries to safeguard tennis to make sure the sport is free from corruption and doping, is also a defendant in the case. "The ITIA's aggressive, unrelenting, and, at times, illegal investigative processes subject players to dozens of drug tests (both blood and urine), invasive searches of their personal cell phones, hours-long interrogations without counsel, and harassment by unaccountable and ill-trained investigators," the lawsuit says.
CNN
18-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Tennis players' association formed by Novak Djokovic taking legal action against the sport's governing bodies
The tennis players' association that was co-founded by Novak Djokovic has filed multiple lawsuits around the world against the sport's tours and governing bodies. The suit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges the 'monopolization' of men's and women's tennis and the 'disregard' of player interests. The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) on Tuesday took legal action against the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Womens Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) – which it accuses of operating 'as a cartel.' The group said it was filing lawsuits in New York, as well as in the European Union and United Kingdom. CNN has obtained the 163-page complaint filed in New York. The wide-ranging lawsuit covers prize money, the rankings system and schedule, the investigative processes of the ITIA, and name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation among other areas. Twelve players – including PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios – are named as plaintiffs in the complaint filed in the US, which demands a jury trial. 'Tennis is broken,' Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said in a statement. '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. Fixing these systemic failures isn't about disrupting tennis – it's about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come.' The ATP said in a statement that they 'strongly reject the premise of the PTPA's claims' and 'believe the case to be entirely without merit,' while adding they will 'vigorously defend' their position. 'Since the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990, ATP has played a leading role in the global growth of men's professional tennis,' the ATP statement read. 'Throughout more than three decades, ATP's 50-50 governance structure has ensured that players and tournaments have an equal voice in shaping the sport's direction at the highest level.' The ATP added there has been a $70 million increase in player revenue over the past five years, while it now provides a minimum guaranteed income for the world's top 250 singles players, among other financial benefits across different levels of the tour. Similarly, the WTA responded by also saying it would defend its position 'vigorously,' calling the PTPA's suit 'both regrettable and misguided.' 'WTA players, as equal members alongside tournaments, have an essential and influential voice in the governance of the WTA,' the statement read. The ITIA confirmed to CNN that it is aware of the lawsuits but has no comment at this time. The ITF also declined to comment. The PTPA in a news release highlighted some of its claims from the lawsuit. The PTPA release claims its legal action is 'backed overwhelmingly' by the top 250+ men's and women's players, including most of the top 20 players on each tour. In addition, the PTPA claims in the news release that the 'disregard for players' includes forcing them to compete in 100-degree Fahrenheit heat, in matches that finish at 3 a.m., and with different 'injury-inducing' tennis balls. It adds that the 11-month-long season allows players little time to recover. In its release, the PTPA also alleges that the tours 'collude' to cap prize money, prevent new competitors and tournaments from entering the market, while imposing a 'draconian' ranking points system and awarding players no compensation from NIL rights. Tennis players are only paid 17% of revenues, the PTPA claims in the news release, to several other sports which range between 35%-50%. 'This is not just about money – it's about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity,' Pospisil said in a statement. 'I'm one of the more fortunate players and I've still had to sleep in my car when traveling 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.' He added, '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 group is looking for the governing bodies be found in violation of the Sherman Act and that the court award damages to each player who is included as a plaintiff in an amount to be determined at trial. The suit also asks the court to order the governing bodies to give up profits they've received, establish a trust that from which the players can seek restitution and any other relief the court deems proper.
CBC
18-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Players' group co-founded by Canadian Vasek Pospisil files antitrust suit against tennis organizers
Calling the groups in charge of professional tennis "a cartel," the players' association co-founded by Canada's Vasek Pospisil and Serbia's Novak Djokovic filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women's and men's tours, the International Tennis Federation and the sport's integrity agency on Tuesday in federal court in New York. The suit by the Professional Tennis Players' Association says the organizations that run the sport hold "complete control over the players' pay and working conditions" and their setup constitutes "textbook violations of state and federal law" that "immunize professional tennis from ordinary market forces and deny professional tennis players and other industry participants their right to fair competition." The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and wants players to gain access to more earnings, arguing that the governing bodies that oversee the four Grand Slam tournaments — Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open and the Australian Open — and other professional events "cap the prize money tournaments award and limit players' ability to earn money off the court." The WTA Tour and ATP Tour issued separate statements Tuesday saying they would "vigorously" defend themselves. The WTA said it has "committed to a $400 million (all figures US) increase in player compensation" in recent years and labeled the PTPA action a "baseless legal case" that is "regrettable and misguided." The ATP touted a "major increase in player compensation" that created a jump of "$70 million in the past five years," and called the PTPA's case "entirely without merit." "The PTPA has consistently chosen division and distraction through misinformation over progress," the ATP's statement said. "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." The ITF and the International Tennis Integrity Agency — which investigates and adjudicates doping and corruption cases — declined to comment. The PTPA was founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in August 2020, aiming to offer representation for players who are independent contractors in a largely individual sport. One of the goals made clear along the way was to become a sort of full-fledged union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements like those that exist in team sports. "For the past few years, the PTPA, an organization I've worked on tirelessly since its inception, has made countless efforts to collaborate with the tours in hopes of achieving positive change for players. Despite these efforts and attempts to engage in constructive dialogue, we were met with resistance and a lack of meaningful action. It is because of this ongoing disregard for players that we were left with no alternative but to take action of our own," Pospisil posted on social media. "For too long, players have been forced to accept a broken system that ignores our well-being, undervalues our contributions, and leaves us without real representation." Djokovic is not one of the players listed as a plaintiff. "His support for this is already explicit. It's redundant since PTPA (is) named as plaintiff, and he is on (the executive committee)," PTPA spokesman David Cooper wrote in an email. "He wanted to allow others to step up since this is not just Novak's (organization)." The PTPA said it met with more than 250 players — women and men, and a majority of the top 20 in the WTA and ATP rankings — before going to court. "Tennis is broken," PTPA executive director Ahmad Nassar said in a news 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. Fixing these systemic failures isn't about disrupting tennis — it's about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come."
