A tumultuous year for the Professional Tennis Players Association continued late last week, when players connected to the group sued another set of affiliated players and executives in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
The complaint calls into question who is entitled to run the PTPA, which lost its most notorious ambassador, Novak Djokovic, in January, and remains in litigation against the ATP, WTA, U.S. Tennis Association, All England Lawn Tennis Club and French Tennis Federation, per an antitrust lawsuit filed last year. (Tennis Australia settled to exit that suit.)
Among the allegations, the latest complaint claims that Ahmad Nassar, former executive director of the PTPA and current CEO of Winners Alliance (the PTPA’s exclusive commercial licensee), formed and directed a “fake executive committee” that voted to fire the PTPA’s General Counsel & EVP/Player Engagement Wajid Mir on June 4 -- one day after, the suit says, a different, “lawful” executive committee had voted to fire PTPA Exec. Dir. Romain Rosenberg, Nassar’s successor when he stepped down in March. The complaint claims that allegations of workplace misconduct levied by PTPA Dir./Player Relations Anastasia Skavronskaia against Rosenberg had been raised with Mir and Nassar in late May. (Rosenberg remains the PTPA’s executive director, in the view of the defendants).
The suit also alleges that, during the meeting in which they decided to fire Rosenberg, the “lawful” executive committee tasked Mir with investigating the PTPA’s relationship with Winners Alliance and Nassar. The plaintiffs allege that Winners Alliance, led by Nassar, did not comply with financial obligations of a term sheet signed by the organizations in 2023 -- mainly, by failing to maximize the PTPA’s rights and provide audited financials on a quarterly basis, as well as diverting money and time into other ventures (e.g., investing $25M into the now-bankrupt Grand Slam Track). According to the complaint, the term sheet pledged annual distributions from Winners Alliance to the PTPA totaling the greater of $3M or 70% of net royalties generated by the PTPA’s rights, the former of which the suit says was, “meant as a floor beneath a growing royalty stream, [but] instead operated as a ceiling.”
The complaint also alleges that PTPA Co-Founder Vasek Pospisil (via “substantial undisclosed cash and equity”) and executive committee member Bethanie Mattek-Sands received improper benefits from Winners Alliance.
At the heart of the dispute is the validity of each executive committee. The complaint claims that the “fake” committee includes members -- Pospisil, Mattek-Sands, Ons Jabeur, Hubert Hurkacz -- whose terms had expired in January, while the “lawful” committee was properly appointed and approved of by Rosenberg. It also says that the “fake” committee did not abide by the PTPA’s mandated six-person quorum in its June 4 meeting. The suit asks for the “lawful” committee -- and its firing of Rosenberg -- to be affirmed; the defendants to be restricted from acting in the name of the PTPA; Mir to have his pay and access to PTPA systems reinstated; and other damages.
The plaintiffs are WTA No. 173 doubles player Saisai Zheng, ATP No. 94 Marco Trungelliti (both members of the “lawful” committee) and the PTPA. They are being represented by Secil Law, Spiro Harrison & Nelson, and Nix Patterson. The defendants are Nassar, Rosenberg, Winners Alliance, Pospisil, Mattek-Sands, Hurkacz and Jabeur; Gibson Dunn is representing the players and Rosenberg, while Clare Lock and Goulston & Storrs are representing Nassar and Winners Alliance.
The defendants issued a statement from the PTPA’s social media accounts over the weekend, referring to Mir as a former employee who was fired for cause and calling the filing “strange and frivolous” and without merit. “We take every legal matter seriously and we will take the appropriate measures to vigorously protect the PTPA and our leadership,” the statement read, in part.
A source with knowledge of the defendants’ thinking added that the defendants are evaluating “all legal options,” and will address with the court its dispute of the plaintiffs filing the suit on behalf of the PTPA. The plaintiffs have also filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the defendants that would reinstate the “lawful” committee and prohibit the “fake” one from acting on behalf of the PTPA.
Reached by SBJ, representatives for the plaintiffs commented: “This lawsuit is a critical step in reaffirming the rightful leadership of the PTPA, who are fighting to ensure that the PTPA fulfills its mission of advocating for players, rather than submitting to the very commercial interests it was founded to combat. We’re proud to stand with these players and look forward to a ruling from the court.”
===
SBJ’s America 250 series
- Yankees claim ‘America’s Team’ crown
- Football is America’s sport, but baseball may still own the pastime
- Pittsburgh punches above its weight in ranking of America’s best sports cities
- Brands are all in on America 250; fans may not be
- Where patriotism still works: MLB leans into its roots
- For America 250, the merchandise opportunity may belong to younger fans
===
Start your day with SBJ Morning Buzzcast, bringing you the hottest stories in sports business every morning in under 15 minutes. Sign up for SBJ’s free newsletters, and dive deeper inside the industry with all the latest sports business news here.
