Carlos Alcaraz says he doesn’t agree with the legal action launched by Novak Djokovic’s players’ association
Carlos Alcaraz has said that he doesn’t support legal action launched by the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) against the sport’s tours and governing bodies earlier this week.
The PTPA, a players’ union co-founded by Novak Djokovic, has filed suits in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging the “monopolization” of men’s and women’s tennis and the “disregard” of player interests.
The wide-ranging lawsuit covers prize money, the rankings system and schedule, the investigative processes of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), and name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, among other areas.
Twelve players – including PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios – are named as plaintiffs in the complaint filed in the US, which demands a jury trial. The group said it was filing lawsuits in New York, as well as in the European Union and United Kingdom.
“It was surprising for me because no one had told me about it,” four-time grand slam champion Alcaraz told reporters on Wednesday, per Reuters.
“Yesterday, I saw on social media that they put something I said in a press conference in the documents and I wasn’t aware of it. I honestly don’t support that letter because I wasn’t aware of it.”
The PTPA is taking action against the governing bodies of men’s and women’s tennis – the ATP and WTA – as well as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and ITIA.
The ATP and WTA both expressed their dissatisfaction with the lawsuits and said that they would defend their positions “vigorously.” The ITIA said that it is aware of the filings, while the ITF said that it would take time to consider an appropriate response.
The PTPA said that it is “backed overwhelmingly” by the top 250+ men’s and women’s players, including most of the top 20 players on each tour.
However, speaking at the Miami Open, Alcaraz distanced himself from the lawsuit. “There are things I agree with and there are other things I don’t agree with,” said the Spanish world No. 3. “Anyway, the main thing is I don’t support what was done.”
Alcaraz, the Miami Open champion in 2022, plays his first match of this year’s tournament against Belgium’s David Goffin on Friday.
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