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A players’ advocacy group founded by Novak Djokovic is closing in on settling with Tennis Australia after the governing body was claimed to have as part of a ‘cartel’ by the players' group.
The Serbian’s Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) had issued the lawsuit in March, stating that the ATP and WTA TOurs as well as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and tennis’ anti-doping body, the ITIA, had shown a ‘disregard for player welfare’.
The Grand Slams were initially listed as ‘co-conspirators’ but the French Open, Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open, were added to the lawsuit in September.
According to Reuters, lawyers for the PTPA on Wednesday filed a letter to the US Southern District Court in New York stating positive talks had taken place between the advocacy group and Australian Open bosses.
‘Plaintiffs and Tennis Australia are engaged in substantive and productive bilateral settlement discussions and believe that a settlement as to plaintiffs' claims against Tennis Australia is likely in the near future,’ a letter from the PTPA’s legal counsel read.
The letter stated that both parties, the PTPA and Tennis Australia, wished to halt proceedings to establish a deal.
A players’ advocacy group founded by Novak Djokovic is closing in on settling with Tennis Australia after the governing body was named as part of a ‘cartel’ that had engaged in ‘anti-competitive practices’.
Tennis Australia (pictured: CEO Craig Tiley) was named in the lawsuit in September alongside the other Grand Slams
The court filing added that the arrangement only applies to Tennis Australia, who later confirmed the positive talks.
‘If the New York court approves a settlement between the parties, Tennis Australia will exit the litigation,’ the Australian Open bosses said.
At present, it is unclear what the settlement deal could entail.
Daily Mail reported in March that Djokovic and Pospisil, including a group of players that includes Nick Kyrgios, are among the plaintiffs in the claim.
‘Tennis is broken,’ said Ahmad Nassar, Executive Director of the PTPA had said at the time. ‘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.’
As part of the claim, the plaintiffs have raised grievances criticising the length of the tour and the welfare offered to players.
Claims were also made that the governing bodies had operated an anti-competition cartel, and had prevented tournaments from increasing prize money.
Djokovic's players' union had initially issued the lawsuit against the ATP and WTA Tours, the ITF and the ITIA
In response to the suit, the ATP said in a statement: 'We strongly reject the premise of the PTPA’s claims.
'We believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position.
'ATP remains committed to working in the best interests of the game - towards continued growth, financial stability, and the best possible future for our players, tournaments, and fans.'
The WTA said: ‘The PTPA’s action is both regrettable and misguided, and we will defend our position in due course.’
