Coco Gauff makes her feelings known on PTPA's lawsuit against ATP & WTA

Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on the PTPA's (Professional Tennis Players Association) lawsuit against the WTA, ATP, ITIA, and ITF, saying she viewed the update similarly to others. However, the American expressed her desire for a greater share of tournament revenue to be allocated to prize money.

The PTPA, co-founded by Novak Djokovic in 2020, filed a lawsuit in a New York court on Tuesday, March 18. It accused the tennis governing bodies of engaging in anti-competitive practices and disregarding players' interests. The suit also alleged that these organizations control players' pay and working conditions, describing them as a "cartel."

Additionally, the suit criticized the annual calendar as unsustainable for players. The PTPA's Executive Director, Ahmad Nassar, stated their sudden action would drive meaningful accountability within the governing bodies.

In the wake of this update, WTA World No. 3 Coco Gauff also made her feelings known. While addressing the media at the Miami Open on Thursday, March 20, the American stated that she was unaware of the details and saw it on Instagram a few days ago.

“I honestly don’t have a lot of information on that whole thing, to be honest. I found out when everyone else did, so I don’t have any information on it that I can share but I’m from all for trying to make the sport better, but I don’t know the details of it. I just saw it on Instagram two days ago," he said.

Gauff expressed her desire for a higher percentage of tournament revenue to be allocated to prize money. However, she acknowledged her privilege as an athlete and recognized that many face greater challenges.

“For me, I guess the biggest thing would be more of a percentage of the revenue in prize money. I also can’t sit here and complain. I’m a professional athlete, I get paid pretty well to do what I love. The amount of work isn’t equal to the reward – I’m an athlete, there’s people who deal with much harder things in this world," she said.

Following the PTPA's lawsuit, the WTA issued a statement defending its operations. The Florida-based organization rejected the PTPA's claims and asserted its commitment to increasing player compensation and ensuring equal prize money for women.

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"For the women’s side of things making as many tournaments as we can equal to the men when it comes to prize money": Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff at BNP Paribas Open - Image Source: Getty

Coco Gauff added that while tennis earnings may be low compared to other sports, she wouldn't complain amidst life's greater challenges.

“So yes, if you want to compare it to other sports, then yes, but if you want to compare it to other things in life, I’m not going to sit here and complain,” she added.

The 21-year-old later emphasized the need for improvements to advance women's tennis, including equal prize money.

“Obviously for the women’s side of things making as many tournaments as we can equal to the men when it comes to prize money. There’s a whole other thing when it comes to visibility and things like that we can also improve on," he said.

Gauff has progressed to the third round of the WTA 1000 event in Miami. After a first-round bye, she dominated compatriot Sofia Kenin without losing a game in the second round. The American will take on 28th seed Maria Sakkari in the third round.