Antitrust: PTPA Files Lawsuit Against Tennis Governing Bodies

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), alongside 12 tennis players, has filed a lawsuit against the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour Inc. (ATP), the Women’s Tennis Association Tour Inc. (WTA), the International Tennis Federation Ltd. (ITF), and the International Tennis Integrity Agency Ltd. (ITIA), accusing them of violating U.S. antitrust laws.

The lawsuit, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that the defendants engaged in anti-competitive practices and monopsonies. These include agreements to fix player compensation for both their services and for the assignment of the right to commercially exploit their names, images, and likenesses, as well as impose arbitration and waiver provisions.

The complaint argues that, in the absence of these unlawful practices, a competitive marketplace would have resulted in more favourable outcomes for players, such as increased prize money, better schedules, improved playing conditions, lower injury rates, and tournaments competing for players’ services and fan engagement.

The plaintiffs seek, among other reliefs, an injunction that would prevent the defendants from continuing to implement their unlawful agreements to unreasonably restrain trade in the relevant market and operating unlawful monopsonies over the services of professional tennis players.

PTPA has also initiated legal actions in the UK and EU against the sport’s governing bodies, drawing attention to issues of systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and player welfare.

These legal actions follow the controversial doping suspensions for players Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, who each received bans of three and one month, respectively. Critics had pointed out the disparities in punishment compared to other players.