The case of Australian tennis player John-Patrick Smith has been revealed in court papers filed by the Tennis Players' Association against the sport's governing bodies.
The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) on Wednesday took legal action against the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) – which it accuses of operating "as a cartel."
The suit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges the "monopolisation" of men's and women's tennis and the "disregard" of player interests.
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The group said it was filing lawsuits in New York, as well as in the European Union and United Kingdom.
Smith, a doubles specialist who made the final of this year's Australian Open mixed doubles event with fellow Australian Kimberly Birrell, is among three Aussies named in the lawsuit, along with Nick Kyrgios and Anastasia Rodionova.
Court papers state Smith was forced to have "a copious amount of his blood" drawn on the eve of an Australian Open match, with concerns about the circumstances around the drug test.
"Smith was given no reason for the sudden test," the US court filing said. "Smith was forced to draw a copious amount of his blood, draining him of energy less than 24 hours before he was to begin playing in one of the biggest tournaments of his season."
The plaintiffs also underlined the case of Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, who had to take a drug test midway through a match at the ATP Finals in December that he ended up losing.
"The ITIA's aggressive, unrelenting, and, at times, illegal investigative processes subject players to dozens of drug tests (both blood and urine), invasive searches of their personal cell phones, hours-long interrogations without counsel, and harassment by unaccountable and ill-trained investigators," the lawsuit states.
In response, the ITIA released a statement on Wednesday. "Credible international sport requires robust anti-doping and anti-corruption programmes, and we are proud of our role in contributing to a clean and fair sport," it said.
The vigorous testing undertaken for lesser known names like Smith and Mensik, brings into focus the preferential treatment given Jannik Sinner, the plaintiffs claim.
The lawsuit highlights the handling of the doping case involving the men's world No.1, who had twice tested positive last year to traces of the prohibited substance clostebol.
Sinner was not suspended after an independent tribunal found it was not his fault and was allowed to compete in the US Open, which he won.
The class action claimed the Sinner affair showed the ITIA's heavy-handed approach was arbitrary and selective.
"There was no investigation that dragged for over a year into a prominent player who had not vocalised any issues with the cartel," it was stated in the US court documents.
The wide-ranging lawsuit covers prize money, the rankings system and schedule, the investigative processes of the ITIA, and name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation among other areas.
Twelve players in all – including PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil and Kyrgios – are named as plaintiffs in the complaint filed in the US, which demands a jury trial.
"Tennis is broken," Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said in a 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."
The ATP said in a statement that they "strongly reject the premise of the PTPA's claims" and "believe the case to be entirely without merit," while adding they will "vigorously defend" their position.
"Since the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990, ATP has played a leading role in the global growth of men's professional tennis," the ATP statement read. "Throughout more than three decades, ATP's 50-50 governance structure has ensured that players and tournaments have an equal voice in shaping the sport's direction at the highest level."
The ATP added there has been a $110 million increase in player revenue over the past five years, while it now provides a minimum guaranteed income for the world's top 250 singles players, among other financial benefits across different levels of the tour.
Similarly, the WTA responded by also saying it would defend its position "vigorously," calling the PTPA's suit "both regrettable and misguided."
"WTA players, as equal members alongside tournaments, have an essential and influential voice in the governance of the WTA," the statement read.
The ITIA confirmed to CNN that it is aware of the lawsuits but has no comment at this time. The ITF also declined to comment.
The PTPA in a news release highlighted some of its claims from the lawsuit. The PTPA release claims its legal action is "backed overwhelmingly" by the top 250+ men's and women's players, including most of the top 20 players on each tour.
In addition, the PTPA claims in the news release that the "disregard for players" includes forcing them to compete in 38-degree heat, in matches that finish at 3am, and with different "injury-inducing" tennis balls. Kyrgios has previously complained about differing balls as he battled a serious wrist injury.
It adds that the 11-month-long season allows players little time to recover.
In its release, the PTPA also alleges that the tours "collude" to cap prize money, prevent new competitors and tournaments from entering the market, while imposing a "draconian" ranking points system and awarding players no compensation from NIL rights.
Tennis players are only paid 17 per cent of revenues, the PTPA claims in the news release, to several other sports which range between 35-50 per cent.
"This is not just about money – it's about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity," Pospisil said in a statement. "I'm one of the more fortunate players and I've still had to sleep in my car when traveling to matches early on in my career – imagine an NFL player being told that he had to sleep in his car at an away game."
He added, "It's absurd and would never happen, obviously. No other major sport treats its athletes this way. The governing bodies force us into unfair contracts, impose inhumane schedules, and punish us for speaking out."
The group is looking for the governing bodies be found in violation of the Sherman Act and that the court award damages to each player who is included as a plaintiff in an amount to be determined at trial.
The suit also asks the court to order the governing bodies to give up profits they've received, establish a trust that from which the players can seek restitution and any other relief the court deems proper.
