Novak Djokovic has admitted he doesn’t fully back the lawsuit against tennis’ governing bodies despite being launched by the players’ union he co-founded. On Tuesday, the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) filed papers amid discontent over the tournament schedule, ranking system and image rights.
The Serbian’s fellow founder Vasek Pospisil and ally Nick Kyrgios are among 12 players listed as plaintiffs alongside the PTPA in the papers submitted at the US District Court in New York. Djokovic however, has not joined them. Speaking at the Miami Open, the 37-year-old explained there are parts of the lawsuit he doesn’t personally agree with.
“This is a classic lawsuit, so lawyers to lawyers, type of situation,” he said. “So to be quite frank with you, there are things that I agree with in the lawsuit, and then there are also things that I don’t agree with.
“And I found that maybe some wording was quite strong in there. I guess the legal team knows what they are doing and what kind of terminology they’re supposed to use in order to get the right effect.”
Djokovic has never been afraid to take a hardline stance on issues within the game. He notoriously defied the ATP Tour during the Covid pandemic to organise his ill-fated Adria Tour, and his show of diplomacy over the lawsuit will be perceived as a surprise.
However, he also argued it was time for his fellow professionals to take the lead for once, adding: “In general, I felt like I don’t need to sign the letter because I want other players to step up. I’ve been very active in tennis politics.”
The PTPA has alleged that the ATP and WTA tours collude with tournament organisers, invariably suppressing competition and restricting prize money. The authorities have vehemently defended themselves publicly and vowed to fight the lawsuit.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion insisted that despite his role in creating the union, he does not want rifts in the sport, saying: “I’ve never been a fan and supporter of division in our sport, but I’ve always fought for better representation and influence of and positioning of the players globally.”
