Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic part of Professional Tennis Players Association legal action against ATP, WTA, ITIA

Loading

“The WTA is fully committed to continuing to develop and evolve the structure and operations of professional women’s tennis, listening closely as always to the views of our players,” the WTA said in a statement. “Contesting this baseless legal case will divert time, attention, and resources from our core mission to the detriment of our players and the sport as a whole.”

According to the lawsuit, one key method used by the tennis governing bodies to keep player pay low is by locking them into a closed system of tournaments and enforcing agreements that bar the athletes from competing in other professional events.

In 2012, billionaire Larry Ellison sought to increase total prize money by $US1.6 million at his tournament, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, but the ATP and WTA rejected his proposal, saying it would put pressure on other tour-sponsored tournaments to boost payouts, the players said. ATP and WTA don’t allow any of its tour events to pay more prize money than the sport’s four marquee grand slam events – the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Roland-Garros and the US Open – a restriction that amounts to a “price-fixing conspiracy,” the complaint says.

Some players still manage to compete in alternative events, including Ultimate Tennis Showdown, and the top-ranked athletes in the sport can earn hefty pay cheques. Djokovic, who’s won a record 24 grand slam titles, is the all-time leader in career prize money at $US186.2 million ($293 million). But restrictions imposed by ATP and WTA is preventing players at all levels from earning even more, according to the suit.

Loading

Limiting endorsements

Off the court, the governing bodies limit sponsorship and endorsement deals, in part by making players give up some name, image and likeness rights as a condition of competing in ATP and WTA events, the complaint says. They also control the number of sponsors allowed to be displayed on a players’ shirt, hat, towel and bag, and the size of any ads, according to the lawsuit.

For example, a player wouldn’t be able to accept an endorsement deal to carry a racquet bag with a Louis Vuitton or Gucci logo because those brands aren’t ATP or WTA-approved tennis equipment manufacturers, the complaint says. The players also alleged they are barred from endorsing sports betting companies, unlike other professional athletes, like basketball player LeBron James.

According to the suit, the tours use a draconian system of ranking points players must earn to enter tournaments and compulsory attendance rules for ATP and WTA events, all of which “funnels players away from” alternatives and restricts competition.

The lawsuit said the ATP and WTA are working on a possible merger that “would exacerbate” the restrictive hold that the two tours have over players, who pledged to challenge it in court.

Also named as a defendant in the case was the International Tennis Integrity Agency, a non-profit founded by the ATP and WTA to enforce anti-doping and anti-corruption measures in the sport. The lawsuit accused the ITIA of abusive investigations and discipline, saying players are subjected to dozens of drug tests, invasive searches of their cell phones and forced to sign illegal arbitration agreements for any disputes.

In a statement, the ITIA said “credible international sport requires robust anti-doping and anti-corruption programs, and we are proud of our role in contributing to a clean and fair sport. The ITIA seeks to uphold the highest standards in our work, following best practice and appropriate rules throughout the management of cases, from intelligence gathering through to investigations and, where applicable, sanctions.”

World No.1 Jannik Sinner is serving a three-month ban for twice testing positive to a banned steroid. Sinner said the violation wasn’t intentional and that his massage therapist used a spray that contained trace amounts of the substance.