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Taking legal action against tennis’ governing bodies was not the first option for the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), but it became the only viable choice to initiate meaningful reforms within the sport, according to Ahmad Nassar, the body’s executive director.
In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Nassar explained that after extensive discussions with players, recurring concerns about scheduling, player compensation, and overall exploitation surfaced. These persistent issues, combined with a lack of structural changes, pushed the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA to file a lawsuit against the ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA last Tuesday.
Legal Action Shakes the Tennis World
The lawsuit, a 163-page document, has sent shockwaves through the tennis community, eliciting mixed reactions from top players. While Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek distanced themselves from the PTPA’s move, world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and American star Coco Gauff acknowledged the pressing need for higher revenue shares for players.
Djokovic, who co-founded the PTPA alongside Vasek Pospisil in 2020, expressed a balanced view, stating that while he agreed with certain aspects of the lawsuit, he remained steadfast in his mission to improve player representation globally. “I have always fought for better representation, influence, and positioning of the players globally in our sport, which is still not where it should be,” Djokovic remarked.
Player Concerns: Lengthy Schedule, Low Compensation, and Limited Growth
Nassar, who has been at the helm of the PTPA since 2022, revealed that during conversations with players, three major concerns repeatedly emerged:
- Excessive Schedule:
“The schedule is a complete inefficient grind. You have tournaments 12 months of the year. No other sport does that,” Nassar stated.
- Inadequate Compensation:
The lawsuit highlights that tours “split less than 20% of their revenue with players.” Despite frequent increases in prize money over the years, Forbes’ 2024 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes did not feature a single tennis player in the top 50. “The highest-earning tennis player last year made something like what the 150th NBA player made, even though tennis is a global sport,” Nassar emphasized.
- Limited Financial Security for Lower-Ranked Players:
Djokovic has often pointed out that fewer than 500 players worldwide can make a sustainable living through tennis. Players ranked between 250-500, which includes most Indian pros, struggle to even afford a coach on the tour. “This system, it’s a pyramid, and it has to work for everybody in it,” Nassar stressed.
Push for a Free Market in Tennis
The PTPA’s lawsuit advocates for a free market without financial caps and restricted opportunities, allowing players to compete and earn beyond the constraints of current tour structures. However, critics fear that removing these checks and balances could lead to chaos.
Nassar, however, drew parallels to similar lawsuits that reshaped the NBA in the 1970s and the NFL in the 1990s. “In the NBA, it was the player draft that was challenged and reformed. In the NFL, free agency was once considered a threat to stability. But these changes empowered massive growth. That’s our hope for tennis,” he explained.
PTPA’s Strong Leadership and Player Support
Apart from Djokovic and Pospisil, the PTPA’s executive committee features prominent players like former top-10 stars Ons Jabeur and Hubert Hurkacz. “This is a player-formed and player-led group. They’re all very involved in everything we do and are supportive,” Nassar highlighted.
Governing Bodies Vow to Fight Back
In response, tennis’ governing bodies have collectively dismissed the PTPA’s claims. The ATP released a statement saying they “strongly reject the premise of the PTPA’s claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position.”
Settlement: The Ideal Outcome?
Despite the looming legal battle, Nassar remains hopeful that a negotiated settlement could pave the way for sustainable growth and better conditions for players.
“A settlement that addresses all these problems to the satisfaction of players and enables tennis to sustainably grow and take its rightful place alongside other global sports, which supports thousands of professional players and generates billions of dollars from incremental revenue,” Nassar concluded.
