A federal judge has ruled that the men’s professional tennis tour cannot retaliate against players who join an ongoing lawsuit against it, nor against players who consider joining the lawsuit.
The ruling, issued by Judge Margaret Garnett of the U.S. District Court in New York Wednesday, serves as an early victory for the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which filed an antitrust lawsuit against the ATP Tour, its women’s counterpart the WTA, the International Tennis Federation and tennis anti-doping authorities in March.
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After the filing of that lawsuit, the ATP Tour circulated a letter to be signed by its players. The letter said that any players that signed it did not support the lawsuit, nor the PTPA. Judge Garnett ruled that the circulation of that letter, and a specific instance in which an ATP board member pressured two players to sign it, amounted to “coercive, deceptive, or potentially abusive” behavior.
Judge Garnett added that it was reasonable for players to understand the ATP rulebook as allowing the tour to threaten the livelihood and benefits of any player who decided to sue the organization.
She also ordered the ATP to within seven days circulate and post a letter to players, making it clear that they cannot be punished or threatened with punishment for joining litigation against the organization.
The letter, known as a corrective action, informs players that “ATP Tour Inc. is legally prohibited from retaliating in any way or threatening retaliation, directly or indirectly, against you for considering participating in or ultimately deciding to participate in this lawsuit.”
Ahmad Nassar, the executive director of the PTPA, declined comment and pointed to the ruling as expressing its sentiments.
A spokesperson for the ATP Tour was not immediately available for comment. When the PTPA filed the lawsuit, the organization said: “we strongly reject the premise of the PTPA’s claims, believe the case to be entirely without merit, and will vigorously defend our position.”
The PTPA, co-founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, has spent much of the past year convincing players that they would not experience retaliation for being a named plaintiff on the lawsuit, or for supporting it. Twelve players elected to be named plaintiffs. Of the six ATP players, three have retired from tennis. None of the other three are ranked inside the top 90, though Nick Kyrgios has been ranked as high as world No. 11. A number of top players declined to join the lawsuit, fearing retribution or a loss of potential prize money, playing opportunities and benefits.
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The lawsuit, which describes the governing bodies of tennis as a “cartel,” would overturn the structure of professional tennis if fully enacted, but is more likely to result in more gradual changes around the proportion of revenues shared with players and the structure of the tennis calendar.
The judge also ordered to the ATP to retain all future communication with players regarding the lawsuit.
(Photo: Ilya S. Savenok / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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