Tennis court to law court Legal action launched by Djokovic's player union exposes years of tensions

Legal action launched by Djokovic's player union exposes years of tensions

- Tumaini Carayol

The Professional Tennis Players' Association came into existence on the eve of the 2020 US Open and at the height of pandemic restrictions. After an inauspicious start, the association co-founded by Novak Djokovic has spent time building its professional structures, finances and player support while trying to gain influence in the sport. The PTPA functions ostensibly as a players' union but it is not legally recognised as such, since players are classed as independent contractors rather than employees.

As the PTPA's numerous attempts to gain a seat at tennis's decision-making table have been rebuffed, often vigorously, by the leading governing bodies - the Association of Tennis Professionals, the Women's Tennis Association, the International Tennis Federation and the four grand slam tournaments - it became increasingly likely that their acrimonious relations would lead to litigation. The PTPA's decision to initiate on Tuesday a lawsuit against the ATP, WTA and ITF, while naming the grand slam events as co-conspirators, marks a dramatic intensification of its campaign for players' rights. It also comes as no great surprise.

In the lawsuit's 163 pages, the PTPA presents ample valid criticism of the tours. Its points range from the lack of financial transparency from the ATP and WTA alongside the low percentage of revenues received by players, to the exhausting 11-month season, the frequency of matches that drag on to 3am or later, plus the decision to increase ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events to 12 days.