"I see that we’re very close to significant change" - PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil gives update on lawsuit against tennis governing bodies

In 2019, Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic joined forces with Canadian doubles specialist Vasek Pospisil to launch the Professional Tennis Players Association, PTPA, in an attempt to create an alternative tennis association for players worldwide.

The PTPA's mission is to create transparency and equity in the sport, as it represents singles players in the top 500 and doubles players in the top 200 of both the ATP and WTA associations. Their goal is to provide players with a system of self-governance that is independent from the established governing bodies of tennis.

Several players have voiced their support for the new association, with American Reilly Opelka, Polish star Hubert Hurkacz and Canadian Denis Shapovalov all speaking in favor of the new tennis body. WTA stars Paula Badosa and Ons Jabeur are also involved in the running of the organization.

In March 2025, the PTPA brought a lawsuit against the major tennis governing bodies (ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA) seeking better treatment and fair compensation for their talent through equitable revenue sharing based on attendance, along with other grievances. The case is still ongoing, although the major tennis governing bodies have rejected the allegations brought in the lawsuit.

On the latest edition of his blog, Behind the Racket, Pospisil went into detail on the idea behind the PTPA. Furthermore, the former doubles World No.4 shed some light on the current lawsuit against the ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA.

"The most important lesson I’ve learned over the past five years concerns the tennis system," began the Canadian. "I’ve seen that it’s far more disorganized than I thought. Today, for the first time, I see that we’re very close to significant change, the kind we need to give players a real voice and an idyllic environment for their development.
"Tennis has lagged behind other sports, which is why we’ve been trying to collaborate with certain governing bodies all these years. We wanted to give them the opportunity to collaborate with us, but to move forward, we had no choice but to resort to legal action.
"The ultimate goal is to give players an independent voice. That’s our main wish in response to the lawsuit. It will pave the way for everything else: higher prize money and better revenue sharing. Having a say in all these issues that affect our livelihoods—whether it’s travel, schedules, balls, or winnings—is essential for us."