Novak Djokovic-led PTPA's Executive Director accuses ATP of 'defamation', calls out their 'illegal' operations following lawsuit

Novak Djokovic-led PTPA's fight for better financial incentives and safeguarding of interests for tennis pros reached a head earlier on Tuesday (March 18), as the players-only body filed a class action lawsuit against ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA. While the men's tennis governing body was quick to denounce the lawsuit in its statement, PTPA Executive Director Ahmad Nassar has now clapped back at the organization for various issues.

ATP didn't hold back in its response to PTPA revealing that it had filed a lawsuit in a New York court on Tuesday, claiming that the players-only body had "struggled to establish a meaningful role in tennis". Nassar subsequently took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to state that ATP's claims amounted to "defamation". He also dissected various parts of the men's governing body's statement in the thread.

"'While 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. 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.' Happy to add defamation to our lawsuits!" Ahmad Nassar wrote on X on Tuesday.

The Djokovic-led PTPA Executive Director also examined ATP's claims of giving player and tournament representatives a "50-50" seat on the Board (which comprises of seven representatives including the Chairman).

"'Throughout more than three decades, ATP’s 50-50 governance structure has ensured that players and tournaments have an equal voice in shaping the sport’s direction at the highest level.' 50-50 governance is an illegal sham, as the players and the PTPA laid out in gory detail," Nassar added.

Furthermore, the American also accused the men's governing body of "illegal price-fixing" with regards to the latter's prize money structure claims in its statement.

"'The introduction of a prize money formula'... Thank you for admitting to illegal price-fixing," he wrote in the X thread.

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Novak Djokovic-led PTPA Executive Director on Baseline plan: "Another farce to make motion look like progress"

Novak Djokovic looks on during a press conference in Melbourne | Image Source: Getty

In his diatribe against ATP's response to the PTPA class action lawsuit, Ahmad Nassar also took umbrage at the men's tennis governing body for its Baseline plan - a minimum-wage policy that came into effect last year after initially being unveiled in August 2023.

"''ATP’s Baseline programme has introduced minimum guaranteed income for the Top 250-ranked singles players, providing unprecedented financial security in professional tennis.' Another farce to make motion look like progress. How much did you actually spend on Baseline last year??" Novak Djokovic-led PTPA Executive Director Ahmad Nassar asked.

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has yet to give his comments on the recent developments surrounding PTPA's lawsuit against tennis' biggest organizations. He is currently competing at the Miami Masters, where he is a six-time champion.