Novak Djokovic breaks silence on PTPA's lawsuit against ATP & WTA

Novak Djokovic has finally spoken up at length about the PTPA's class action lawsuit against the ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA. The Serb co-founded the PTPA in 2019 alongside Vasek Pospisil, with the aim to ensure fairness and transparency in tennis and for the protection of players' interests.

Speaking at a pre-tournament press conference prior to starting his 2025 Miami Open campaign, the former No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion suggested that the controversial lawsuit isn't intended to create a rift in the sport. Both the ATP and the WTA issued strong rebuttals to the lawsuit, which aims to address several issues in professional tennis, including prize money concerns and the hectic calendar.

"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 in our sport, which I think is still not where I think it should be, and where most of the players think it should be, not just in terms of prize money, but in terms of many other points that have been also stated in that document," Djokovic said.

Bizarrely though, despite being a PTPA co-founder, Novak Djokovic admitted that there are certain things about the controversial lawsuit he is not in agreement with. It's important to note that the Serb's name isn't in the list of plaintiffs, even though the lawsuit is being vociferously backed by the PTPA.

"I really hope that all the governing bodies, including PTPA, will come together and solve these issues. This is a classic lawsuit, so lawyers to lawyers, type of situation. 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," he added.

"And I found that maybe some wording was quite strong in there, but 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 concluded.

Earlier, ATP No. 3 and four-time Major winner Carlos Alcaraz was asked about his thoughts on the lawsuit, with one part of his answer being uncannily similar to a part of Djokovic's own take.

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Carlos Alcaraz aired opinion on PTPA lawsuit similar to that of Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz during a practice session ahead of the 2025 Miami Open (Source: Getty)

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz had suggested that the demanding tennis calendar would potentially bring about serious consequences for players. Alcaraz's words have been briefly quoted in the PTPA lawsuit as well.

However, when quizzed about his feelings on the lawsuit, the Spaniard, similar to Novak Djokovic, said that he agreed with a few points while disagreeing with others. Overall though, Alcaraz refused to extend his support to the PTPA's cause.

"There are some things that I agree with. There are some other things that I don't agree with. But the main thing here is that I am not supporting that. So that's it," Alcaraz said during his own pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2025 Miami Open.

The lengthy document containing all the plaintiffs' objections also cites examples of Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Jannik Sinner. However, like Alcaraz, none of them are listed as plaintiffs. Nick Kyrgios, who is among the plaintiffs, has also shared his thoughts on the controversial development.