The period between Indian Wells and the Miami Open usually makes for a few slow days between two of the three biggest North American tennis events. This year, the rhythms were a little different. On Tuesday, news came that the Professional Tennis Players Association filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, as well as in London and Brussels, against the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, essentially accusing them of anticompetitive practices.
The PTPA is almost five years old, but this is its biggest salvo: A lawsuit filed in federal court that, in theory, could be a real disruptor to the tennis business model. The named plaintiffs include Vasek Pospisil—co-founder of the PTPA with Novak Djokovic—Nick Kyrgios and Reilly Opelka. The complaint is 163 pages long and makes a number of charges, most of them related to the distribution of prize money and the playing schedule set by the tours.
