Earlier this year, in March, the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), co-founded by the Serbian Novak Djokovic in 2020 to increase player influence, made headlines. The group filed legal action against tennis governing bodies, accusing them of “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare”. At the time, even PTPA executive director Ahmad Nassar added, “Tennis is broken.” Now, the situation has taken a significant turn before the 2026 season, as Tennis Australia has broken away from the other tennis organizations and agreed to settle the lawsuit with the PTPA.

It is still unclear who made the decision to settle the case separately, but some believe it may have come from Tennis Australia as an organisation, the CEO Craig Tiley, or outgoing Chair and Board President Jayne Hrdlicka. However, Hrdlicka seems unlikely since her term ends in 2025. Regardless of who initiated the move, an agreement now appears close and could be completed before the AO begins on January 12.

A letter submitted to the US Southern District Court in NY confirms progress. It states that the PTPA and Tennis Australia, which operates the AO, are engaged in “substantive and productive bilateral settlement discussions.” The letter also asks Judge Margaret Garnett to pause all legal action involving Tennis Australia while both sides work toward a final settlement in the coming days.

However, the request in the letter applies only to Tennis Australia. The other defendants, the ATP Tour, the WTA Tour, the French Tennis Federation, the All England Club, and the US Tennis Association, remain part of the ongoing case. 

It is also not known whether the agreement will include firm commitments relating to the prize money or improvements in scheduling. Still, if an agreement is finalized, it may give the PTPA a stronger position in negotiations with the remaining GS and tour bodies.

Earlier this week, the PTPA’s legal team submitted another filing to NY’s Southern District Court. The statement read: “Plaintiffs and Tennis Australia are engaged in substantive and productive bilateral settlement discussions and believe that a settlement as to plaintiffs’ claims against Tennis Australia is likely in the near future. Accordingly, plaintiffs and Tennis Australia respectfully request that this court enter an order staying all proceedings and deadlines in the case that pertain to Tennis Australia while the parties finalise their agreement.”

The case itself is large and complex. The ‘163-page’ lawsuit filed in March aims to end what the PTPA describes as the “monopolistic control” of tennis’s 2 major tours. 

The organisation led by the 24-time Slam winner argues that the tours operate like a “cartel” by forming agreements that limit prize money and block new organisations from entering the sport.

The lawsuit also challenges the current ranking system and what it calls an “unsustainable” competition schedule.

And the scheduling concerns have grown louder throughout 2025, as more players publicly complained about constant travel, a lack of rest periods, and an ever-shrinking offseason. 

Because of this frustration, the PTPA has gained stronger support from many players in both the WTA and ATP sides, who want meaningful reform.

PTPA backs Iga Swiatek in dispute with scheduling concerns

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), the PTPA reshared one of Iga Świątek’s comments from September. In that interview with ESPN, Świątek criticized the mandatory WTA structure and said, “WTA, with all these mandatory rules, they made this pretty crazy for us. I don’t think any top player will actually be able to achieve this, playing the six 500 tournaments. It’s just impossible to squeeze it in the schedule. I think we have to be smart about it, not really, unfortunately, care about the rules and just think what’s healthy for us.”

Along with her quote, the PTPA’s X handle added a powerful message. “This is about more than money — it’s about dignity, safety, and respect. Iga Świątek is calling out the impossible demands placed on players — from mandatory rules to overloaded schedules that ignore what’s actually healthy,” the post added. This public support shows how strongly the PTPA aligns with Świątek’s concerns.

And to be honest, player frustration over the schedule has been building for some time, especially in 2025. Even before the 2025 season began, many felt the tennis calendar was too demanding. In 2024, the season ended on December 22 with the ATP Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia, but just five days later, the 2025 season began with the United Cup in Australia. 

Players have also spoken openly about physical and mental burnout. The Aussie ace, Alex de Minaur, after an early French Open exit this year, even admitted to “feeling burned out.” His words reflected the growing belief that the schedule is not sustainable.

Now that Tennis Australia appears ready to settle with the PTPA, the situation may be shifting. This agreement could encourage other tennis bodies to review their own positions in the lawsuit as well.

The question now is whether the remaining organisations will choose the same path and settle before 2026, or continue the legal battle into the next season.