🎾 Professional Tennis Players are Suing the ATP

Shortly after sending this newsletter last week I made my way to the Park Plaza in Westminster to attend the 2024 Sports Journalism Awards.

It’s an annually hosted black-tie award ceremony where I was nominated in two separate categories:

1. Best YouTube Newcomer

2. Best YouTube Show

I was (somehow) voted the winner for the Best YouTube Newcomer award beating out some pretty impressive competition on the way! This platform has surged in momentum in 2025 so far and these awards have capped off a stellar first three months of the year.

I say this often but I mean it every time I say it, thank you to everyone who has engaged, liked, shared or commented on any of my content in the last 15 months. It really does mean the world to me, I am humbled to see the growth we are experiencing.

Today, we discuss some pretty seismic changes in the world of tennis.

In 2020, Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). Their mission was to “champion the rights and interests of professional tennis players worldwide”.

Fast forward to March 2025 and the PTPA has taken a bold step by filing a class-action lawsuit against the major tennis governing bodies the ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA. The core allegation being that these organisations are operating as a "cartel," engaging in anti-competitive practices that stifle player earnings and compromise player well-being.

Sheesh.

The PTPA's grievances are… layered. There are three main problems that they speak to:

1. Revenue Split Misalignment: Tennis players reportedly receive circa.17% of the sport's gross revenue. In comparison to some team sports this is rather low. Athletes pocket closer to 50% in the NBA and the NFL and tennis players want to get closer to this level.

2. Calendar Congestion: The relentless tennis calendar leaves players with minimal downtime, increasing the risk of injuries and burnout. The PTPA argues that the current ranking system forces players into a grueling, nearly year-round competition cycle and is engineered in a way that leaves players no choice but to participate.

3. Limited Autonomy: Players feel shackled by restrictive contracts and a ranking system that dictates their tournament participation, compensation, and sponsorship opportunities. This setup, they claim, hampers their ability to seek better financial and professional prospects.

The PTPA is pushing for a more transparent and equitable system for everyone, where players have a significant voice in decisions that impact their careers and their lives.

Footballers have been very outspoken in recent years about the volume of games they are being asked to play. LIV Golf was born out of a frustration that the PGA were very controlling over the careers of many golfers. Popular UFC fighters are often publicly berating the business practices of Dana White citing low revenue splits and restricted marketing opportunities.

All of the aforementioned governing bodies are dismissive of the complaints and the ATP is no different. They have labelled the lawsuit as "misguided" despite the issues raised resonating with many players and fans alike.

This story will evolve and pan out over the coming years. The courage to challenge the status quo is what drives progress and this is certainly a courageous move.

I will finish this segment with a TikTok from Morgan Riddle, the girlfriend of American #1 Tennis Player Taylor Fritz. It’s a goofy TikTok but it shows how much travelling is involved in an annual schedule.

Watch on TikTok

Imagine you are a player that plays outside the Top 10, this would be very expensive to maintain and speaks very kindly to the 2nd grievance listed above!

I will keep you abreast on any developments that pan out here.

I leave you this week with a fascinating tweet showing some leaked payslips from some Premier League footballers in years gone by.

In a few weeks time I will be releasing a video that will be titled “How Footballers Get Paid”. I will dive into the wonderful world of salaries, bonuses, image rights and tax incentives that players around the world are currently benefitting from.

Be sure to look out for that over on YouTube.

Tevez though… Christ!

See you next week.