PTPA, governing bodies may prefer talks over trial, says former ATP Board member

BENGALURU : The class-action lawsuit filed against tennis' governing bodies by the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) is a call for serious and formal negotiations and none of the parties may prefer a trial, a former ATP Board member believes.

Established in 2020 by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, the PTPA has been fighting for a spot at the table as a voice for players and it said last week it was forced to take legal action after years of good-faith efforts to reform the sport.

The advocacy group said the ATP, the WTA, the International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Integrity Agency indulged in anti-competitive practices and showed a disregard for player welfare in its 163-page lawsuit.

Briton Alex Inglot, a former European player representative at the ATP, told Reuters the case was a long time coming and the product of the PTPA's frustrations.

"They've tried to go by the book, play the game, be polite, try to be productive, progressive and additive. They've tried to build their relationship with players through various events and meetings," Inglot said via video call from London.

"It's now got to a head where the players and the PTPA have decided they just haven't been given sufficient respect, haven't been given a seat at the table, haven't been taken seriously and it's time to raise the stakes.

"That as a result means the case is a call for serious and formal negotiations. I'm not convinced anyone wants this to go to trial."

In papers filed in three different global jurisdictions - New York, London and Brussels - the PTPA and a group of players as plaintiffs also point to the arduous tennis schedule and the ranking systems among issues that need to be addressed.

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Inglot,