Nick Kyrgios has explained why he has joined a group of tennis stars in bringing legal action against tennis’ governing bodies, describing it as a ‘big day for tennis’. The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) launched a full-scale attack on the ATP, WTA, ITIA and ITF, citing ‘systemic abuse’ and ‘corruption’ from the quartet in their running of the sport. The Australian is among 12 current and former players listed as plaintiffs along with the PTPA in the suit, which was filed in New York.
Among the eight key points listed is the financial remuneration for professionals, which they believe is far below what they should be earning in comparison to football and other major sports, and Kyrgios is confident the top organisations in tennis will be forced to change how they operate. “I don’t think players ultimately have been very happy with what they earn on the tour comparatively to other sports and that’s definitely one of the main reasons,” Kyrgios told Sky Sports.
He added: “We’re the only sport in the world that doesn’t have a players’ association. The PTPA’s first goal was to get the players to be heard. I feel like we don’t get heard. For instance, we’re using different balls pretty much every week, things that absolutely shouldn’t be happening in a high, professional sport.
“The ATP just had so much power, they don’t have to show anything to anyone. Now things will have to change, they will have to show things, how things operate, and that’s when people really realise that is hasn’t really been done correctly for many years.”
The ATP and WTA issued strong statements in response on Tuesday, claiming the lawsuit is ‘baseless’, with both institutions prepared to defend themselves in what could prove to be a bitter fight between the powers of the game and their protagonists. The ITF declined to comment when approached by Express Sport.
But Kyrgios, 29, revealed that the legal action brought forward by PTPA co-founders Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, as well as WTA representative Sorana Cirstea, had been in the works for a long time and said he was heavily involved in the process.
“I felt people knew something was going on behind the scenes for a long time,” he added. “We wanted to do something like this for the future of tennis. I know the players and myself aren’t happy with the structures and everything that is going on in tennis at the moment.
“There are over 100 pages doctrine that people can read for more information. I don’t want to go into all the details but I’ve been as involved as I can be with everything I’ve got going on. This will be a special moment in tennis, for sure. Things needed to change. It’s a big day for tennis.”