Courtesy: Google
The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, has recently filed a class-action lawsuit against major tennis governing bodies, including the Association of Tennis professionals (ATP), World Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court of New York, alleges that these organisations engage in anti-competitive practices that exploit players and hinder the sport's development. While there have been a lot of global reactions to this move by the PTPA, one of the main talking points has been the absence of Djokovic from the list of plaintiffs for the lawsuit, despite being the organisation's co-founder.
The key allegations of the lawsuit include the PTPA accusing the governing bodies of operating as a "cartel," colluding to suppress competition among tournaments and limit players' earning potential. The lawsuit also claims that players receive a disproportionately low percentage of tournament revenues, with prize money intentionally kept below the value that players bring to events.
I don’t need to sign the letter because..: Djokovic speaks about not being one of the plaintiffs
While Djokovic supports the PTPA's mission to improve player conditions, he has expressed disagreement with certain aspects of the lawsuit, describing some language as "quite strong." He emphasised his commitment to unifying the sport and enhancing player representation without causing division. He said, "In general, I feel like I don’t need to sign the letter because I want other players to step up. I’ve been very active in tennis politics."
Djokovic has previously been very vocal about the pay and financial aspects of professional tennis, highlighting the fact that not every player can afford every facility in this individual sport. He said, "Around the world, you have less than 500 players who live from this sport. And about 250-300 players from this 500 who live from this sport probably can’t even afford to have a physio or fitness coach or even a tennis coach because it’s too costly."
