The biggest disruption to tennis in 2025 didn’t happen on court. The PTPA filed lawsuits against the ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA, claiming the sport operates under cartel-like restrictions that limit player earnings and competition. While some players supported the move, others remained unconvinced. One year on, the dispute continues, with the four Grand Slams now looking for solutions.

According to The Athletic, heads of the ATP, WTA, and three of the sport’s biggest events (Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open) met on Tuesday and Wednesday in London to figure out how to respond to the PTPA’s growing set of demands. The agenda was big: fairer pay, greater representation, and the future of the sport itself.

Ahead of its January 18 start, the Australian Open made its own move. Reports say the tournament has reached an agreement that’s nearly done and could be finalized within days or weeks. The other tours and tournaments are still figuring out their next steps, with no solid proposal on the table yet for the PTPA.

The talks, kept quiet until now, could lead to a deal that secures tournaments financially while boosting revenue for the sport. As one insider said, leaders “discussed the structure of a deal aimed at giving tournaments financial security, producing more revenue for the sport, and giving players the increased pay, benefits, and voice for which they have been pushing ever harder in recent months.”

These meetings followed a series of one-on-one discussions between ATP Chair Andrea Gaudenzi and PTPA Executive Director Ahmad Nassar, whose group filed major antitrust lawsuits last spring.

“Both sides, alongside their lawyers, have expressed a desire to make changes to improve the sport quickly, rather than slog through a lengthy and expensive legal battle that is likely to leave everyone involved unhappy,” sources told The Athletic. They added that “these latest meetings are preliminary.”

This isn’t even the first major move before the Australian Open. On December 13, Tennis Australia confirmed that a deal had been made to settle the antitrust lawsuit filed in the New York District Court earlier this year.

“Tennis Australia today confirmed it has reached an agreement to settle the class action lawsuit filed in the New York District Court earlier this year, without admitting any liability or wrongdoing. The settlement remains subject to final documentation and court approval processes.”

The organization added that “the plaintiffs’ lawyers have applied to the court to continue the stay of proceedings against Tennis Australia while settlement documentation is completed.”

The battle is far from over, and no official conclusion has been reached yet. The PTPA, meanwhile, suffered a setback after its co-founder, former World No.1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, stepped away from the organization.

Novak Djokovic announces major decision after PTPA’s year-long lawsuit

The new tennis season kicked off with a shocker. On January 4, Nole made a decision and announced he’s stepping away from the PTPA, the very group he co-founded five years ago.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association. This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented,” Djokovic wrote on X on Sunday evening, explaining his reasons in full.

Before launching the PTPA, Djokovic had already been deep in working as a changemaker of the sport. He served as ATP Player Council president from 2016 to 2020 and, at 38, continues to defy time, reaching all four Grand Slam semifinals last season and crossing the 100-title career mark.

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“I am proud of the vision that Vasek and I shared when founding the PTPA, giving players a stronger, independent voice – but it has become clear that my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organization,” he said, reflecting on the PTPA’s beginnings with Vasek Pospisil.

He co-founded the org in 2019 and formally launched it at the 2020 US Open before incorporating as a non-profit in Canada in 2021. The core values Djokovic championed included creating transparency and fairness in tennis governance, securing players’ fair revenue share, optimizing rights protection, welfare safeguards against abuse, and collective advocacy for a better sport structure. But that wasn’t the case, and now he’s stepped out.

Now, with the major tennis tournaments stepping in to take some action, do you think we’ll see some change soon? Only time will tell.