“Tennis Is Broken,” Novak Djokovic’s Union Lodges Legal Suits Against “Draconian” “Abusive” ATP, WTA Practices

In professional sports, athletes usually sign contracts, get steady salaries, and have their respective teams covering their expenses. Tennis? It plays by different rules. Players are independent contractors, paying their own expenses and relying on prize money to stay afloat. It’s a system that has frustrated players for years, especially when they see how much money the sport rakes in—particularly at the four Grand Slams. That frustration fueled Novak Djokovic’s push to form the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) in 2020. He wanted players to have a bigger slice of the pie. Meanwhile, the Grand Slams tried to introduce the Premium Tour in 2023, promising a sleeker season and bigger paychecks, but they hit too many roadblocks. Now, the PTPA has decided to take matters into its own hands, launching a lawsuit against tennis’ governing bodies. Let’s dive into the details!

The PTPA and 22 other players including Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, and Reilly Opelka have filed lawsuits against tennis’ governing bodies. On Tuesday, they took legal action against the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), accusing them of running the sport like a monopoly.

The Novak Djokovic-led foundation reckons these organizations are trapping players in an unfair system. They claim that athletes are being exploited, underpaid, and put at risk. According to the group, repeated attempts to negotiate change have been ignored.

“Tennis is broken,” said Ahmad Nassar, the executive director of the PTPA. “Behind the glamorous veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardizes their health and safety. 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. Fixing these systemic failures isn’t about disrupting tennis—it’s about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come.”

The PTPA isn’t holding back. They argue that tennis’ governing bodies operate like a “cartel,” making deals with tournaments to cap prize money and shut out competition. On top of that, they call the ranking system “draconian,” and “abusive” saying it traps players in a cycle where they have no choice but to compete in these events just to build their careers. The PTPA has filed a civil lawsuit in New York, USA and demands a jury trial. The governing bodies have yet to comment publicly.

Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, who co-founded the PTPA in 2020, have been pushing for reforms for years. Pospisil said that after feeling ignored, they started considering legal action last year.

Before this, the Serbian tennis player had voiced his frustration on “favoritism” in the handling of doping violations, after Jannik Sinner’s case came to light.

Novak Djokovic promises to fund players to fight doping cases

The association announced the launch of the Athlete Counsel & Equity (ACE) Program, an initiative designed to give ATP and WTA players free legal support in January 2025. Two top law firms—King & Spalding LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP—will provide assistance, a move that comes at a critical time for the sport.

Recent doping cases involving stars like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have put a spotlight on the legal complexities players face. Sinner tested positive for clostebol in August 2024, but an independent tribunal cleared him of wrongdoing. That wasn’t the end of it, though—WADA later stepped in, and the case ended with a three-month suspension starting February 9. Meanwhile, Swiatek tested positive for TMZ the same year but served only a one-month suspension in 2024.

The way these cases were handled left many questioning the system. At the start of the year, Djokovic didn’t hold back, saying, “A majority of the players don’t feel it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favoritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.”

With the PTPA challenging tennis’ power structure and pushing for change, the sport is at a crossroads. Is this the right move to secure a fairer future for players?