‘Stuck in a rigged game’: Kyrgios, Djokovic take legal action in tennis pay fight

Some top tennis players are suing the sport’s governing bodies for allegedly running a cartel that caps prize money, limits off-court earnings and restricts competition from rival tournaments.

The Professional Tennis Players Association, co-founded by Novak Djokovic and backed by billionaire Bill Ackman, filed a suit in New York federal court on Tuesday. A dozen current and former players including Nick Kyrgios, Vasek Pospisil and Sorana Cirstea are also part of the action. They claim the ATP Tour, WTA Tour and International Tennis Federation violate US antitrust laws by controlling players’ pay and working conditions.

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are part of legal action against the tennis tours. Credit: Getty Images

“Professional tennis players are stuck in a rigged game,” according to the suit. “Not on the court, where fierce competition between players delights millions of fans worldwide, but off of it, where players are forced to endure gruelling schedules, capped earnings, abusive and invasive investigations and discipline, and have limited control over their own careers and brands.”

The players likened their claim to earlier legal fights that led to free agency in American football and baseball, and rule changes in US college sports allowing students to receive cash compensation. Unlike other professional sports, which gives half their gross revenues to players, tennis shares less than 20 per cent, despite growing popularity with fans, the suit claims.

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