I'm not quite following this. I don't have a subscription to The Athletic, but I understand that the Grand Slams need to compete with each other to stay relevant and differentiate themselves from lower-tier tournaments. It's worth noting that the Slams accommodate a significant number of players when you include qualifying, which features a draw of 128 players. Combined with the main draw, that totals 256 players.
So how are slams enriching themselves at the expense of the players exactly? And what are they offering as an alternative?
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Djokovic's PTPA Sues ATP and WTA
Curious read, as a non-lawyer, main complaints of damages come from restriction of events, and coordination so .... the PTPA wants more tournaments and to have them be overlapping.
Will tennis have a LIV Golf moment?
Futterman/Athletic: "The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), the organization co-founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, has labeled the biggest governing bodies in tennis as a “cartel” which suppresses wages, player opportunity and rival tournaments “to the harm of players and fans alike.”
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday March 18 in New York City, London and Brussels, the PTPA names the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) as defendants. The suit, filed in those three cities to reflect the four bodies’ global remit, accuses them of several antitrust violations, with the goal of overturning the fundamental structure of one of the most popular global sports.
"The lawsuit names the four Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon and the Australian, French and U.S. Opens, as co-conspirators alongside the ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA. The Grand Slams, it says, act in concert with the defendants “to enrich themselves at the players’ expense, to the detriment of fans and the game.”
Article on The Athletic, paywall / NYT: Tennis antitrust lawsuit: PTPA, co-founded by Novak Djokovic, sues ATP, WTA tours
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