Players' union partially successful in legal challenge v ATP

The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) has been partially successful in a legal challenge against the men's ATP Tour.

The association alleged the ATP tried to pressure players into signing pre-prepared statements saying they had no prior knowledge of the wider legal action launched by the PTPA against several governing bodies in March.

It sought a court order preventing the ATP from engaging in "improper, coercive or threatening communications" with players on the matter.

In Wednesday's ruling in New York, Judge Margaret Garnett found the ATP's "conduct to date, regardless of intent, could readily have been viewed as potentially coercive, deceptive or otherwise abusive".

The judge decided an ATP official had sought to influence at least two players - the world number two Alexander Zverev and 13th-ranked Ben Shelton - and found players are "vulnerable to economic coercion", because the tournaments they rely on to make a living are "nearly exclusively organised" by the tour.

In the wider lawsuit, against the ATP, the women's WTA Tour, the International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Integrity Agency, the PTPA cited "anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare".

It had asked the judge to issue an order which would prevent all four defendants from communicating with players about their involvement in the process.

Judge Garnett's ruling, however, was only directed at the ATP.

It states the ATP is prohibited from "retaliating, or threatening retaliation" against any player who is participating, or thinking of participating, in the action.

The ATP has also been ordered to preserve all past communications with players about the litigation. But the PTPA's wish that the information should be disclosed was rejected by the judge, who also declined to issue a blanket ban on the tour communicating on the matter.

The banning of all communication would "harm the ability of the ATP to permissibly discuss and respond to this litigation in lawful ways," the judge added.

An ATP spokesperson said: "ATP acknowledges the court's ruling and will promptly comply with its directions. We remain committed to supporting our players, upholding the integrity of the game, and fully defending ourselves in the ongoing legal proceedings."

The PTPA was co-founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who is not one of the players listed as a co-plaintiff in any official court document.

The Serb said in March that there are elements of the wider lawsuit with which he agrees, and some with which he does not.