The Tennis Players’ Association, which is pursuing legal action against the sport’s biggest tournaments and bodies, has reached a settlement agreement with one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, breaking with the positions of the other three.
The Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) and Tennis Australia, which manages the Australian Open, are “working together to memorize the terms” of a settlement that will be the subject of a detailed agreement by early 2026, according to a letter filed Tuesday in the United States District Court.
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The nature of the settlement has not yet been disclosed.
The same day, the organizers of Wimbledon and the French and United States Opens filed a new joint request seeking to have the trial. The French Tennis Federation and the All England Lawn Tennis Club filed a separate motion arguing that a U.S. court lacks jurisdiction over them, and the American Tennis Association filed a request for arbitration with some of the players named in the suit. The PTPA has also filed complaints in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Ahmad Nassar, executive director of the PTPA, said via text message that the organization wants “everyone to make more effort to resolve these issues for the benefit of players, fans and tournaments as quickly as possible.”
An AELTC spokesperson said it was aware of the settlement but could not comment further given ongoing legal proceedings. Representatives for the other three Grand Slam tournaments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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The ATP and WTA Tours, the two other defendants in the lawsuit, which describes the sport’s governing bodies as a “cartel” and cites “anti-competitive practices and blatant disregard for player well-being,” filed motions to dismiss earlier this year, which are still pending. The men’s tour described the suit as “totally baseless”, while the WTA called it “baseless”.
The lawsuit is not the only pressure on the foundations of tennis. In recent months, a group of top male and female stars have held separate discussions with the four Grand Slams over prize money – arguing to receive a greater proportion of tournament revenue – as well as pension contributions. Grand Slam prize moneyalthough still growing and huge, with $85 million in the US Open purse this year, it typically represents about 15 to 22 percent of each tournament’s revenue.
The essential demands of the two groups would bring tennis closer to other sports leagues that have collective agreements; tennis players are essentially independent contractors and do not have teams capable of maneuvering on their behalf.
This allows them to choose their schedules, but dissatisfaction among some players has increased. entry rules and extension of certain tournamentswhich brought an increase in prize money. Top players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz, however, said this made the season too physically and mentally taxing.
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The majors say their other obligations, including funding the development of tennis in their respective countries, must be taken into account when setting prices.
The desires of the lobbyists of the Grand Slam and the PTPA are in some way analogous to those who animated the antitrust lawsuit filed against NASCAR by Michael Jordan’s 23XI team and Front Row Motorsportswhich reached a settlement on Thursday December 11.
The Australian Open main draw begins on January 18 and now takes an even more intriguing place in the politics at the top of the sport.
This article was originally published in Athletics.
Sports Affairs, Tennis, Women’s Tennis
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