A schism has emerged within the world of professional tennis as Novak Djokovic, a co-founder of the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), has publicly stated he “does not agree” with certain aspects of the lawsuit the organization filed against the ATP and WTA tours.
This revelation comes just a day after world number three, Carlos Alcaraz, also expressed his disapproval of the legal action.
The PTPA, established in 2020 by Djokovic and Canadian player Vasek Pospisil, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday criticizing the tours’ schedule, ranking systems, and control over players’ image rights.
The association alleges collusion between the tours and tournaments, claiming it artificially restricts prize money and creates an “unsustainable” 11-month schedule. They also voiced concerns about “invasive searches of personal devices.”
Despite his role in founding the PTPA, Djokovic clarified his position at the Miami Open on Thursday.
“In general, I felt like I don’t need to sign the letter because I want other players to step up. I’ve been very active in tennis politics,” he stated. “This is a classic lawsuit, so lawyers to lawyers, type of situation. So to be quite frank with you, there are things that I agree with in the lawsuit, and then there are also things that I don’t agree with.”
Djokovic further elaborated, suggesting that “some wording was quite strong” in the legal documents, though he acknowledged that the legal team likely had strategic reasons for their language.
He also emphasized his desire to avoid division within the sport. “I’ve never been a fan and supporter of division in our sport, but I’ve always fought for better representation and influence of and positioning of the players globally in our sport, which I think is still not where I think it should be and where most of the players think it should be,” he added, citing issues beyond prize money.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, revealed on Wednesday that he did not support the lawsuit, in part because he was quoted in the documents without prior notification.
The ATP and WTA tours have responded to the lawsuit by defending their record, highlighting the prize money and security they provide for players.
