Earlier this week, the Novak Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players Association filed a lawsuit against WTA, ATP, ITF, and ITIA over pay disparity. “Tennis is broken. Behind the glamorous veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent,” read the statement from PTPA’s executive director Ahmad Nassar. The lawsuit is backed by 12 players including Nick Kyrgios and Reilly Opelka, but interestingly Djokovic’s name is not there among the plaintiffs. What do other players think of it though, especially on the WTA side? Well, World No.3 Coco Gauff has made her thoughts clear. Is she in support of the lawsuit? Let’s find out.

The PTPA was originally founded in 2020 by Djokovic and ex-Canadian ATP pro Vasek Pospisil. The objective was to make sure players get a bigger slice of money from tournament revenues. On March 18, the PTPA filed a lawsuit in New York, demanding a jury trial. Per their statement, “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.”

Coco Gauff, who’s currently competing at the Miami Open, has now shared her perspective on the controversy as well. Following her first-round victory against Sofia Kenin, the 2023 US Open sat down for a presser, dated March 20. When asked to comment on the news, she initially mentioned she had no idea about the specifics. However, she did provide her stance on the pay disparity. “I also can’t sit here and complain. Like, I’m a professional athlete. I get paid pretty well to do what I love,” she remarked.

Addressing the controversy regarding pay inequality, she added, “I guess the biggest thing would be not equity but more of a percentage of the revenue and prize money. Obviously for the women’s side of things, making as many tournaments as we can equal to the men when it comes to prize money terms.”

Coco Gauff definitely wants players to get paid well but she doesn’t really seem to be supporting PTPA’s lawsuit. And she’s not the only prominent face to have a neutral perspective. The four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz also refused to throw his weight behind the PTPA’s lawsuit.

Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t “support that letter”

Following the filing of PTPA’s lawsuit, the Aussie pro-Nick Kyrgios tried to convey that many tennis pros are in its favor. And that PTPA consulted over 300 players before taking the decision. Kyrgios even took to X and wrote, “There are top players – don’t worry about that.” But guess what? Former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz has distanced himself from that letter.

The lawsuit mentions eight major complaints against the governing bodies of tennis. Those complaints include collusion to limit competition, fixed prize money, suppressed player earnings, mandated ranking points, an unsustainable schedule, player neglect, financial exploitation, and privacy violations. While the PTPA wants to bring a systemic change, Alcaraz has made his stance clear. So what does he think?

The Spaniard recently engaged in a press conference ahead of his Miami Open campaign. When asked about the PTPA’s lawsuit there, he said, “There are things I agree with and there are other things I don’t agree with. The main thing is I don’t support what was done.” To his surprise, however, his name is also there in the lawsuit. How?

In the file, which has over 150 pages, the Spaniard was cited for his comments about hectic schedules. On page 71, there’s a reference to his reaction from last season’s Laver Cup. It reads, “Carlos Alcaraz criticized the Tours’ schedule, saying the Governing Body Defendants ‘are going to k-ll (players) in some way.’”

Back then, Alcaraz had criticized the tennis calendar, saying, “A lot of players (want) to play more — or even more. A lot of players feel like, OK, it is a good calendar. And a lot of players (say) that it’s really tight and a lot of tournaments during the whole year”

Continuing further, he had added, “I’m the kind of player who (thinks) there is a lot of tournaments during the year, mandatory tournaments, and probably during the next few years, gonna be even more tournaments, more mandatory tournaments. So, I mean, probably they are going to k-ll us in some way.”

However, Alcaraz never expected his reaction to be included in a legal filing. In the press conference, he revealed, “Yesterday I saw on social media that they put something I said in a press conference in the documents and I wasn’t aware of it.” And hence, “I honestly don’t support that letter, because I wasn’t aware of it”

So, is there a divide among players themselves over the lawsuit? What are your thoughts on this entire situation? Let us know in the comments below.