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Kyrgios named in bombshell tennis lawsuit exposing “systematic abuse”
Emily Benammar • March 19th, 2025 11:07 am
Nick Kyrgios is among a host of global tennis stars to launch legal against the sport’s three governing bodies and the integrity agency which oversees doping, alleging “systemic abuse”.
The Australian has thrown his support behind the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) - set up by Novak Djokovic and Canada’s Vasek Pospisil – which said it was suing the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
22 former and current players including Kyrgios, Djokovic and Pospisil are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuits which list “systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare that have persisted for decades” among the complaints.
Player grievances also include athletes being forced to compete late at night and in extreme heat and an alleged invasion of privacy when it comes to anti-doping practices.
"Tennis is broken," Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said in a statement. "Behind the glamorous veneer that the Defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardises their health and safety.
"We have exhausted all options for reform through dialogue, and the governing bodies have left us no choice but to seek accountability through the courts. Fixing these systemic failures isn't about disrupting tennis – it's about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come."
A statement from the PTPA accused the governing bodies of “fixing prize money and suppressing player earnings” and showed a “disregard for players by making them compete in 100-degree (Fahrenheit) heat, endure matches that ended at 3am, and play with different and injury-inducing tennis balls”.
Regarding drug testing, the statement added: “players are subjected to invasive searches of personal devices, random middle-of-the-night drug tests, and interrogations without legal representation”.
Since 2021 the PTPA has tried – often in vain - to push for “supporting and safeguarding professional tennis players”.
The ATP was quick to respond to the allegations.
“While the ATP has remained focused on delivering reforms that benefit players at multiple levels, the PTPA has consistently chosen division and distraction through misinformation over progress,” a statement read.
“Five years on from its inception in 2020, the PTPA has struggled to establish a meaningful role in tennis, making its decision to pursue legal action at this juncture unsurprising.
“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 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 described the PTPA’s actions as “both regrettable and misguided, and we will defend our position vigorously in due course”.
