Novak Djokovic with Vasek Pospisil inset
Vasek Pospisil has revealed in court that he was “surprised” by the comments Novak Djokovic has made about the Professional Tennis Players Association’s legal action against tennis’ governing bodies.
In March, the PTPA — which was co-founded by Djokovic and Pospisil in 2020 — launched the lawsuit against the ATP and WTA tours, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The PTPA has branded the governing bodies a “cartel” and accused them of implementing “anticompetitive restraints and abusive practices.”
Pospisil and Nick Kyrgios are among 11 current or former professional players listed as plaintiffs (the original number was 12, but British player Jay Clarke has since withdrawn), while Djokovic chose not to be included.
Djokovic was asked about the lawsuit at a press conference during the Indian Wells Open last month.
“I really hope that all the governing bodies, including PTPA, will come together and solve these issues,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner told the media.
“This is a classic lawsuit, so lawyers to lawyers, type of situation. So to be quite frank with you, there are things that I agree with in the lawsuit, and then there are also things that I don’t agree with.
“I found that maybe some wording was quite strong in there, but I guess the legal team knows what they are doing and what kind of terminology they’re supposed to use in order to get the right effect.”
Pospisil appeared in court in Manhattan on Friday for a hearing regarding the PTPA’s motion to gag the ATP from discussing the lawsuit with players
As reported by Front Office Sports, Pospisil was asked about his PTPA co-founder Djokovic saying he did not support parts of the lawsuit.
“I was surprised,” the Canadian told the court.
Speaking on The Slice Tennis YouTube channel earlier this month, Pospisil claimed Djokovic was heavily involved in the legal action.
“He was very much part of the process, staying updated and involved through his agent, with plenty of time before the lawsuit was filed,” explained Pospisil.
“From my conversations with him, I believe his stance was that he didn’t want to make it about himself but rather about the broader group of players and the necessary changes in tennis.
“As a PTPA co-founder, he naturally played a role in the PTPA-led lawsuit, though he preferred to be involved from that angle vs. as a direct plaintiff. He had his reasons for this choice, but there’s no doubt he was fully aware of and supportive of the lawsuit.”
