The Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) has secured a partial victory in its legal fight against the ATP Tour.
A New York judge ruled on Wednesday that the ATP’s communications with players about the PTPA’s wider lawsuit “could readily have been viewed as potentially coercive, deceptive or otherwise abusive.”
The PTPA had accused the ATP of pressuring players to sign statements denying prior knowledge of their legal action against several tennis governing bodies.
Judge Margaret Garnett prohibited the ATP from retaliating or threatening players involved in the lawsuit, citing instances where ATP officials sought to influence Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton.
She also noted players’ “vulnerability to economic coercion” due to their reliance on ATP tournaments.
However, the judge denied the PTPA’s request for a blanket ban on ATP communication about the lawsuit and rejected the demand for disclosure of past communications, though she ordered their preservation.
An ATP spokesperson stated the tour would comply with the ruling and defend itself in the ongoing legal proceedings.
The PTPA, co-founded by Novak Djokovic, launched the broader lawsuit in March, alleging anti-competitive practices.
