Tennis heading for the courts – courts of law that is

Tennis matches normally happen on a court.

Usually grass, terre battue, or asphalt.

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are planning to move the action into the courts of law, starting in the USA

The PTPA player organisation set up by Serb  Djokovic and Canada’s Vasek Pospisil and supported by Kyrgios, has launched legal action against tennis’ ruling bodies.

Founded in 2021, the Professional Tennis Players Association cites it’s mission as “supporting and safeguarding professional tennis players”

In a statement  PTPA has accused the governing bodies of “ disregarding player welfare by forcing athletes to compete late at night and in extreme heat, and branded anti-doping practices an invasion of privacy”

Their statement further added  “The lawsuits expose systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare that have persisted for decades.”

Pospisil, a former Wimbledon doubles champion and singles quarter-finalist in, said: “This is not just about money, it’s about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity.

“I’m one of the more fortunate players and I’ve still had to sleep in my car when travelling to matches early on in my career. Imagine an NFL player being told that he had to sleep in his car at an away game? It’s absurd and would never happen, obviously. No other major sport treats its athletes this way”

A statement read: “Following years of good-faith efforts to reform professional tennis, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has taken decisive legal action.

“Today, the PTPA, alongside over a dozen professional tennis players and on behalf of the entire player population,

The plaintiffs, twelve former and current players including Djokovic, Pospisil and Kyrgios, are listed along with the PTPA.

“The renowned international law firm and historical player advocates Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, have  initiated a series of legal actions in the US, UK and EU against the sport’s governing bodies.”

Main photo:- Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic are now taking the game to the Law Courts