Tennis Lawsuit Sparks Courtroom Fight Over Grand Slam Credentials

Court documents filed Wednesday show that the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), a quasi-union for tennis pros, was denied credentials by the organizers of the French Open and Wimbledon.

The PTPA asked a federal judge in the Southern District of New York to compel the tournaments to issue credentials.

Court filings show email exchangesbetween the PTPA and the French Tennis Federation and All England Lawn Tennis Club—organizers of the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively—after the credentials were rejected. The tournaments openly cite the PTPA’s ongoing suit against them in the emails.

Last year, the PTPA sued the Grand Slam tournaments, the ATP and WTA, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), accusing that the tournament organizers and tennis governing bodies have created a “cartel” to suppress wages anddisregard player health.

When the lawsuit was originally filed in March 2025, the Grand Slams were not named as defendants. They were added in a Sept. 26 amendment, after all four 2025 Grand Slam tournaments.

Sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan was first to report the credential fight.

The organizers of the French Open and Wimbledon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

A PTPA source told FOS that the group was approved for credentials to the Australian Open in January, the first Grand Slam on the calendar. The Australian Open settled the lawsuit with the PTPA in January.

The PTPA has yet to apply for a credential for the 2026 US Open, which starts in August. 

On April 13, PTPA’s director of player relations Anastasia Skavronskaia sent separate emails to the French Tennis Federation and All England Lawn Tennis Club requesting for credentials, the court filings show. For the French Open, Skavronskaia requested credentials for three PTPA members: executive director Romain Rosenberg, executive vice president of player engagement Wajid Mir, and herself. 

A day later, the French federation’s public relations director Kidline Chevalier replied, denying the PTPA’s credential request:

“We have received clear guidance we can’t grant any credentials to any party suing the FFT. Given the lawsuit under progress, we won’t unfortunately proceed with your request,” the email read, in part.

Two days later, All-England professional tennis manager Joanne Simons responded, also denying the PTPA’s Wimbledon credential: “In light of the ongoing litigation with the PTPA, the AELTC will not be accrediting anyone from the PTPA’s organisation.” 

On April 21, Rosenberg sent separate emails to both organizations’ CEOs and key executives.

“I wanted to bring this to your attention in case it was not a decision that was properly routed to you directly,” he wrote. “We are there to support players and I strongly believe that this approach is unproductive and unnecessary.”

Rosenberg also asked if the executives were open to speak at each tournament.

French Tennis Federation CEO Stéphane Morel responded a week later on behalf of himself and the organization’s president. “We indeed can’t grant any credentials to any parties who sue the FFT. Obviously nothing personal,” he wrote. Morel noted that the PTPA could receive credentials under “player allotment,” meaning they would receive credentials through a specific player. 

He also acknowledged Rosenberg’s “interesting proposal” to meet in Paris, but declined the invitation: “Our lawyers don’t unfortunately allow us to proceed accordingly, unless you pull out from your legal action first, which would obviously change our position on PTPA credentials too.”

On May 1, All-England’s CEO, Sally Bolton replied, rejecting both requests.

“In light of the ongoing litigation with the PTPA, the AELTC will not be accrediting anyone from the PTPA’s organisation to this year’s Championships.

“With regard to a possible meeting, we do not believe this would be productive with the lawsuit ongoing.”

Rosenberg, Mir, and Skavronskaia each filed declarations Wednesday explaining why they would be harmed by the credential rejections. The affidavits described the PTPA as the “leading global advocacy organization” meant to “support, protect, and advance professional tennis’ players well-being. If not granted credentials, the PTPA alleges they “will not have the ability to serve players and fulfill its mission” during the tournaments.

In a statement to FOS, the PTPA pointed out that the two tournaments appear to have made a coordinated decision to deny their credential amid accusations that they are working together to the detriment of the players:

“It is notable that two organizations facing collusion allegations have responded with decisions that appear coordinated when they have otherwise asserted that they operate independently.

“Not only do we believe their decision constitutes illegal retaliation against plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit, but it also prevents our organization from interacting with and supporting players during one of the most important stretches of the season. The FFT’s and AELTC’s actions are also inconsistent with Judge Garnett’s order from last year prohibiting another defendant from retaliating against other plaintiffs. This kind of behavior must stop.”

The PTPA also said it gave the two Grand Slam organizers an offer to “engage in productive discussions” that was also denied.

“Players deserve support, advocacy, and representation at the sport’s biggest events, not retaliation. We will continue doing everything in our power to protect players and carry out the work we were created to do,” the statement concluded.

The PTPA’s credential issues come as talks of a potential player boycott of tennis tournaments has hit a boiling point over the last several weeks after the announcement of the French Open prize money. The tournament increased its prize pool to $72.3 million, about 15% of the tournament’s projected revenue and up $6.5 million from 2025. But it’s down from 15.5% of revenue in 2025, and far from the players’ goal of hitting 22% revenue share by 2030.

Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said earlier this month that she feels “at some point, we will boycott it.” Other top women’s stars including Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Madison Keys have come out in support of a potential boycott.

Men’s No. 1 Jannik Sinner said he understands the players’ sentiments, and did not rule out possibly boycotting a future tennis tournament. 

The PTPA, however, does not represent all tennis players and is not a labor union. (Tennis players are independent contractors and not employees.)

The group was founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in 2020. Djokovic left the group earlier this year, citing “ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.” The 24-time Grand Slam champion did not include himself as a plaintiff in the case against the tournament organizers.

Its player executive committee includes Taylor Townsend, former men’s No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz, and former women’s No. 2 Ons Jabeur. Some of the players named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Nick Kyrgios, Reilly Opelka, and Sorana Cîrstea. 

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