The lawsuit that cracked world tennis’ fissures wide open

The Novak Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) created a storm on Tuesday, filing a lawsuit on the sport’s governing bodies. In a strongly worded statement, the PTPA accused the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, ITF and the ITIA of creating an ‘unfair’ system in tennis.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic speaks during a press conference.(AFP)

In a statement, Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said, “Tennis is broken. Behind the glamorous veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardises 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.”