Groundbreaking lawsuit could be the start of professional tennis reform

Tennis is a combat sport. Two people (occasionally four) engage in a battle of skill, physicality, wits and psychology to produce a winner and a loser. Someone always steps off the court as victor and someone else as vanquished – from the lowest amateur level to the highest plain of the sport, this is how it is.

But in the world of professional tennis – off the court at least – the rules of engagement are not as clear because winning and losing is not as easily defined.

The big tours such as the men’s ATP and the women’s WTA, and the four Grand Slams, which are separate to those tours, rake in billions of dollars in commercial rights and sponsorship earnings annually. They are winning.

The players only see a fraction of that money, and the lower down the rankings you go, players earn a fraction of the fraction. They are losing.

The best players in the world still earn enormous sums of money compared with the average person. But professional tennis is not only made up of 20 to 30 players in the men’s and women’s game.

There are more than 1,000 players who participate professionally and are trying to fulfil their talent and years of dedication in the highest stratosphere of the sport.

And mostly they are failing because it’s expensive and gruelling and they’re treated like expendable commodities (which, frankly, they are).

Anyone outside the top 100 struggles to make a living in what is a relatively short career. That would be fine if tennis authorities were really doing all they could to support players, and the money only extended so far.

But the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), formed by 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic and former top 30-ranked player Vasek Pospisil in 2020, don’t believe tennis bodies are doing nearly enough.

Lawsuit

Nick Kyrgios returns a shot against Karen Khachanov on day four of the Miami Open on 21 March 2025. (Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images)

Key allegations

• Anticompetitive price-fixing: The PTPA argues that the defendants have engaged in price-fixing by conspiring to limit player earnings through caps on prize money and restrictions on players’ ability to secure sponsorships and endorsements. The document highlights an instance where billionaire Larry Ellison’s attempt to increase prize money at the BNP Paribas Open was allegedly blocked by the ATP and WTA, demonstrating the tours’ power to suppress player compensation. The complaint argues that this price-fixing not only reduces player earnings but also stifles competition among tournaments;


• Restrictions on player mobility: The PTPA contends that the defendants enforce rules that restrict players’ ability to participate in tournaments outside of the established tours. These restrictions include penalties for competing in other tournaments, a “Ranking Points” system that incentivises players to remain within the defendants’ tours and a demanding schedule that limits players’ freedom to participate in other events. The Ranking Points system is identified as a tool used to manipulate the market for players’ services and maintain the tours’ dominance;


• Anticompetitive agreements among tournaments: The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants enforce anticompetitive agreements that prevent tournaments from competing with each other, including allocating specific calendar weeks and geographic regions and requiring tournaments to enter into non-compete agreements. These agreements are said to protect the defendants’ cartel and prevent competition that could lead to better opportunities for players;


• Abusive treatment of players: The PTPA claims that the ITIA, overseen by the other defendants, engages in abusive practices towards players, including invasive investigations, harassment and due process violations. These actions are alleged to be part of the defendants’ efforts to maintain control over players and suppress dissent; and


• Harm to players and the sport: The lawsuit argues that the defendants’ anticompetitive practices harm players by suppressing their compensation, limiting their ability to negotiate better working conditions and forcing them to play in dangerous conditions. Examples cited include forcing players to play in extreme heat, late at night and under conditions that increase the risk of injury. The PTPA also asserts that these practices harm the sport by stifling competition and preventing its growth.

A packed Stadium 1 during men’s singles final between Jack Draper and Holger Rune at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on 16 March 2025. (Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

Shot across the bow