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Professional Tennis Players’ Association, a group co-founded by Djokovic sued the Pro Tennis Tours seeking a greater share of revenues among other complaints about the structure.
Delhi Capitals’ Faf du Plessis walks towards his fielding position during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, India, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
The professional tennis tours and two other defendants jointly filed a motion in federal court in New York to dismiss the class-action antitrust lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players’ Association, a group co-founded by Novak Djokovic.
The PTPA sued the WTA women’s tour, the ATP men’s tour, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which oversees anti-doping and anti-corruption efforts in the sport, in March, calling them a “cartel.”
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The players are seeking a greater share of revenues and also raised various other complaints about how tennis is structured, including limits on prize money and a lack of competition from rival tours or tournaments.
The PTPA was founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil with the aim of representing players who are independent contractors in a largely individual sport.
The group’s executive director, Ahmad Nassar, repeatedly has said it is not a full-fledged union, does not have members and does not collect dues — all of which are pointed to in one of Tuesday’s motions as reasons why the PTPA does not have standing as a plaintiff in the case. That motion came from all four defendants.
A separate motion, filed only by the WTA, says that the male plaintiffs — 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios, Reilly Opelka and Tennys Sandgren were among those named — should not be suing the women’s tour, and also argues that the female plaintiffs — who include Sorana Cirstea and Varvara Gracheva — should be compelled to go to binding arbitration instead of pursuing the court case.
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“There is nothing surprising in their motions,” the PTPA said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We’ve researched all the issues at length, before filing our case, and look forward to responding in due course and having the judge decide.”
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
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