Novak Djokovic, the rebel, is at it again

Novak Djokovic is the most accomplished men's tennis player ever, with the highest career prize money earned in a single season (2015) and overall. Given the notoriety, fame and fortune the sport has brought him, you'd think the Serb would have little to complain about.

Think again.

Djokovic has never been a conformist. He is the same anti-vaxxer who organized a tournament in Croatia at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to send a message to medical authorities. In 2008, when Kosovo was on the brink of gaining sovereignty from his homeland, he spewed Serbian nationalist rhetoric that earned him severe backlash.

More recently, he spoke up against anti-doping authorities for showing "favoritism" in the cases of Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, compared to past instances involving Simona Halep and Tara Moore.

The rebel is at it again. 

On Tuesday, the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA), co-founded by Djokovic in 2021, began legal action against tennis' governing bodies, citing "anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare," among other issues. 

The 163-page lawsuit, filed at the U.S. District Court in New York, alleges that "professional tennis players are stuck in a rigged game" and have "limited control over their own careers and brands."

The lawsuit further alleges that tennis' governing bodies — ATP, WTA and ITF — have systematically manipulated prize‑money structures, suppressed competition and imposed ranking systems that prevent players from seeking alternate methods of earnings. It also accuses the ITIA of invasive anti-doping and anti-corruption practices and a lack of transparency in the handling of doping-related bans.

"Following years of good-faith efforts to reform professional tennis, the PTPA has taken decisive legal action," read the statement. "The lawsuits expose systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare that have persisted for decades."

The ATP, WTA and ITF denounced the PTPA's lawsuit with strongly-worded statements, via The Guardian. The ITF has yet to respond. 

Among the 12 plaintiffs named in the lawsuit are Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, the co-founders of PTPA, Nick Kyrgios and Sorana Cirstea. 

Kyrgios told Sky Sports that the lawsuit was long overdue.

"We all wanted to do something for the future of tennis," he said. "I know that many players, myself included, aren't happy with the structures in tennis...This will be a special moment in tennis, for sure. I think things need to change and it's a big day for tennis."