Tennis Australia break away separately in attempt to settle PTPA lawsuit

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has been in the role since 2013. (Getty/Daniel Pockett)

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) are in the final stages of agreeing a deal with Tennis Australia after a lawsuit was filed against multiple governing bodies.

It comes after the PTPA, a player-led council co-founded by Novak Djokovic, filed a class-action lawsuit targeting the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), arguing the top tennis administrations showed a "blatant disregard for player welfare" on top of other serious matters.

In March this year, the PTPA lodged a 163-page lawsuit, accusing the ATP and WTA of acting as a "cartel" that tries to gain "monopolistic control".

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Despite the lawsuit adding the four Grand Slams in September (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and US Open), Tennis Australia have opted to tackle the issue separately.

It is unknown who decided to settle the case separately, whether it was initiated by Tennis Australia as a whole, CEO Craig Tiley, or outgoing chairman and Board President Jayne Hrdlicka, with the latter unlikely given her term as Chair expires at the end of 2025.

However, an agreement seems within reach before the Australian Open commences on January 12.

Earlier this week, the PTPA's lawyers wrote to New York's Southern District Court in a statement: "Plaintiffs and Tennis Australia are engaged in substantive and productive bilateral settlement discussions and believe that a settlement as to plaintiffs' claims against Tennis Australia is likely in the near future. Accordingly, plaintiffs and Tennis Australia respectfully request that this court enter an order staying all proceedings and deadlines in the case that pertain to Tennis Australia while the parties finalise their agreement."

The First Serve understands that the ITF discussed multiple topics in a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting on Friday, including Tennis Australia's ongoing negotiations with the PTPA.

Part of the PTPA's stance also involves concern regarding the schedule and prize money gap.

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In response to the PTPA's stance, the ATP released a statement, which read: "We strongly reject the premise of the PTPA’s claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position. ATP remains committed to working in the best interests of the game - towards continued growth, financial stability, and the best possible future for our players, tournaments, and fans."

The WTA referred to the PTPA's lawsuit as "regrettable and misguided".

Interestingly, the ITF and ITIA were removed as defendants from the lawsuit in September.

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