Tennis Australia Reaches Settlement With PTPA In Antitrust Case
2 hours ago
The deepening power struggle within professional tennis has come into sharp focus at the start of the season’s first Grand Slam, following the public disclosure of a settlement agreement between Tennis Australia and the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA).
The PTPA filed an antitrust lawsuit last year against the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the four Grand Slam tournaments, alleging coordinated actions that suppress prize money, restrict player rankings, and limit commercial and promotional freedoms. While Tennis Australia was originally named in the case, it was removed from the claim last month after reaching a confidential settlement with the players’ body.
Court filings published in New York on Saturday have now revealed the contours of that agreement, effectively exposing fractures between Tennis Australia and the sport’s remaining governing institutions. Under the settlement, Tennis Australia has agreed to cooperate with the PTPA in its legal action against the other Grand Slams and governing bodies, including sharing sensitive financial and operational information.
According to the documents, the cooperation includes access to data related to tournament finances, prize money structures, player name, image and likeness (NIL) rights, sponsorship and endorsement opportunities, scheduling requirements, ranking systems, and participation rules. In return, Tennis Australia secured immunity from potential financial damages that could have run into tens of millions.
The timing of the disclosure — on the opening weekend of the Australian Open — has heightened tensions across the sport. A source within the WTA described the move as deliberately provocative, suggesting it could accelerate an already escalating dispute between players and tennis authorities.
The PTPA is seeking structural reform across professional tennis, including higher prize money, greater player input into scheduling decisions, and increased commercial autonomy. In its legal submissions, the players’ union argued that the agreement with Tennis Australia was designed to increase pressure on the remaining defendants to enter settlement discussions.
By reducing the number of organisations exposed to financial liability, the PTPA believes the cooperation from Tennis Australia will strengthen its ability to pursue the case through trial if necessary.
Further inflaming the situation, the PTPA issued a public statement shortly before Novak Djokovic’s pre-tournament press conference in Melbourne. Djokovic, who co-founded the union in 2020 alongside Vasek Pospisil, stepped away from the organisation last month but reiterated his support for its underlying objectives.
In its statement, the PTPA accused tennis’s governing bodies of operating an anticompetitive system that limits player earnings, imposes demanding schedules, restricts sponsorship opportunities, and curbs innovation across the sport. The union said it was fully funded to pursue the lawsuit to its conclusion and framed the dispute as a defining moment for the future structure of professional tennis.
Djokovic later clarified that while he no longer agreed with the PTPA’s leadership direction, he continued to believe in the need for an independent, player-only representative body within tennis.
The ATP and WTA have consistently rejected the lawsuit’s claims, calling them unfounded, and alongside the remaining Grand Slam tournaments are expected to continue defending their governance model. Tournament organisers have pointed to significant recent increases in prize money — including a 16% rise at this year’s Australian Open — and ongoing discussions around formalising player representation within decision-making structures.
As the legal battle unfolds, the Tennis Australia settlement has underscored a growing reality: the governance model of professional tennis is under unprecedented scrutiny, and the balance of power between players and institutions is being actively contested.