A federal judge has ruled that the men’s professional tennis tour cannot retaliate against players who join an ongoing lawsuit against it, nor against players who consider joining the lawsuit.
The ruling, issued by judge Margaret Garnett of the U.S. District Court in New York Wednesday, serves as an early victory for the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which filed an antitrust lawsuit against the ATP Tour, its women’s counterpart the WTA, the International Tennis Federation and tennis anti-doping authorities in March.
After the filing of that lawsuit, the ATP Tour circulated a letter to be signed by its players. The letter said that any players that signed it did not support the lawsuit, nor the PTPA. Garnett ruled that the circulation of that letter, and a specific instance in which an ATP board member pressured two players to sign it, amounted to “coercive, deceptive, or potentially abusive” behavior.
Judge Garnett added that it was reasonable for players to understand the ATP rulebook as allowing the tour to threaten the livelihood and benefits of any player who decided to sue the organization.
She also ordered the ATP to within seven days circulate and post a letter to players, making it clear that they cannot be punished or threatened with punishment…
