The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has filed a lawsuit against the sport’s governing bodies, accusing them of anti-competitive practices and a disregard for player welfare.

The PTPA, an independent players’ union co-founded by Novak Djokovic in 2019, said on Tuesday that after years of good-faith efforts to reform professional tennis, it had been forced to take legal action to end “monopolistic control” of the sport.

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It said in a statement that, along with more than a dozen players, the PTPA had filed papers in a New York court against the ATP Tour, the WTA Tour, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

“Tennis is broken,” Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said in the statement. “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.”

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In response, the ATP accused the PTPA of choosing “division and distraction” and having no meaningful role in the sport.

“We strongly reject the premise of the PTPA’s claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position,” the ATP said in a statement.

“ATP remains committed to working in the best interests of the game – towards continued growth, financial stability, and the best possible future for players, tournaments, and fans.”

The WTA defended its record of growing women’s tennis, describing the lawsuit as “baseless”.

“Every decision taken at the WTA Board level includes the input of players via their elected Board representatives, and athletes receive substantial financial rewards and other benefits from participation in the WTA,” the organisation said.

‘A big day for tennis’

Meanwhile, Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios believes the lawsuit marks a “special moment” and that it was high time players’ voices were heard.

Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios, who is among 12 current and former players listed as plaintiffs along with the PTPA in the suit, said the group was determined to do something for the future of the game.

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“I know that myself and many of the players aren’t happy with the structures and everything that’s going on in tennis at the moment,” Kyrgios told Sky Sports.

“This will be a special moment in tennis, for sure.

“Things needed to change. It’s a big day for tennis.”

The PTPA was formally established by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in 2019 to advocate for players.

Pospisil said the PTPA had spoken to more than 250 players and had plenty of support, including from the top players.

“The ATP/WTA has spread so much fear over the years that it’s not easy to put your name on this publicly. Player support for this initiative is undeniable,” he added.

While player associations are common in professional sports, tennis is different in that the players operate as independent contractors.

“We’re the only sport in the world that doesn’t have a players’ association. That was the PTPA’s first goal, to get the players to be heard,” Kyrgios said.

“The ATP just had so much power, they don’t have to show anything to anyone. Now things will have to change, they’ll have to show things, how things operate and that’s when people really realise that it hasn’t really been done correctly.

“I don’t think players ultimately have been very happy with what they earn on the tour compared to other sports and I think that’s definitely one of the main reasons.”

Describing the various governing bodies as ‘a cartel’, the PTPA, which has also begun legal action in the United Kingdom and the European Union, accuses them of paying “artificially low compensation to professional tennis players” and imposing a “draconian” ranking system that forces them to compete in certain tournaments.

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The lawsuit calls the schedule unsustainable, says players are made to play in extreme heat and often in the early hours of the morning, that tennis balls chosen by the tournaments are a factor in chronic injuries, and that players’ privacy rights are being abused by random drug tests.

Before filing the lawsuit, the PTPA said it met more than 250 players across the tours, including the majority of the men’s and women’s top 20.