• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here
Law

Judge Bans ATP Tour From Retaliating Against Players in Major Lawsuit

The players suing what they call “tennis cartel” didn’t receive everything they sought from the judge.

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

A federal judge ordered the ATP Tour to not retaliate against tennis players who are suing or joining a lawsuit against the tour. 

The judge, Margaret Garnett, ordered the tour to send players a letter she wrote that bars the circuit from retaliation related to the blockbuster class action lawsuit.

The plaintiffs—12 players and the Professional Tennis Players Association—last month sought a comprehensive gag order preventing the ATP from discussing the case with its members. They had accused the tour of pressuring and threatening players in the days after the March 18 filing of the lawsuit. An ATP board member had circulated a two-sentence statement that said the signer renounced the lawsuit.

In her letter, Garnett writes, “This statement has no legal effect on your status as a potential class member or your legal rights in connection with the lawsuit. If you signed this statement, you have not waived your right to participate in this lawsuit either now or in the future, if you choose.

“Further, you are hereby informed that ATP Tour, Inc. is legally prohibited from retaliating in any way, or threatening retaliation, directly or indirectly, against you for considering participating in or ultimately deciding to participate in this lawsuit. “

Judge Garnett did not go as far as the plaintiffs wanted. She didn’t ban the ATP from discussing the case with its members, or order it to turn over all communications with players. But she did find the ATP could reasonably be viewed as coercing players—potential class members—from signing on to the lawsuit, given the power it has over the players.

Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, it is the court’s responsibility to shield prospective class members from unauthorized, misleading communications disseminated by the parties or their counsel. 

“The Court further finds that ATP did in fact leverage its power over putative class
members to directly or indirectly coerce or mislead putative class members into disavowing this action, thereby posing a serious threat to the fairness of the litigation process, the adequacy of representation, and the administration of justice generally,” she wrote. 

At a hearing last month, Vasek Pospisil and Reilly Opelka—two of the named player plaintiffs—testified about threats they said the ATP made, warning them they could lose their pensions and be saddled with onerous legal costs. The duo did not name anyone specifically making the threats, and the ATP called it hearsay and protested the judge allowing the testimony.

In her 19-page decision, Garnett wrote she gave Opelka’s testimony about an unnamed Players Council member warning him little weight because it is hearsay. But then a few lines later she described his testimony as “credible” and that it “further supports the Court’s Finding that putative class members are particularly susceptible to economic coercion by ATP and that ATP’s conduct thus far has a tendency to coerce or mislead.”

And Garnett wrote she questioned the testimony of ATP board member Luben Pampoulov. He was the one who, at the Miami Open on March 19, asked players to sign the two-sentence statement disavowing the lawsuit.  

“Mr. Pampoulov was inexplicably vague with respect to certain key aspects of the position statement, including how and why the position statement came about, all of which undermines his credibility regarding the non-coercive intent of the statement,” Judge Garnett wrote

The plaintiffs’ case also targets the WTA Tour, the International Tennis Federation and the sport’s drug testing body. The plaintiffs have not accused these other entities of coercion or retaliation.

The lawsuit charges the four tennis entities with widespread antitrust violations, including conspiring to suppress player pay and controlling them through onerous and restrictive work rules.

A lawyer for the ATP, did not reply for comment and the PTPA declined comment. A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Jim Quinn, wrote in a text message, “Obviously we are very pleased with the Judge’s well reasoned opinion and her Order protecting the potential class members.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The $80 Million F1 ‘Crashgate’ Case Heads to Court

Massa placed second to Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 drivers’ championship.

Jannik Sinner’s $6M Saudi Payday Tops Any Grand Slam Purse

The other five participants received $1.5 million.
Mat Ishbia

Mat Ishbia Countersues Suns Minority Owners in Transparency Fight

He claims two minority partners are manufacturing a “contrived legal drama.”

RAJ Sports Withdraws Lawsuit Over Trail Blazers Stake

RAJ Sports had sued the Cherng family, owner of Panda Express.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
Oct 25, 2025; Martinsville, Virginia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (8) before NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 Practice and Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR Star Kyle Busch Sues Pacific Life Over $8.5M Insurance Scam

Busch says he lost $8.58 million from Pacific Life.
October 29, 2025

Rozier’s Lawyer Says Missed 2023 Games Cost Him Shoe Money

Rozier had a Puma deal through the end of the 2022–23 season.
FuboTV
October 29, 2025

Disney’s Fubo Deal Closes After DOJ Ends Antitrust Review

The deal creates the sixth-largest pay-TV company in the U.S.
Sponsored

Why Alexis Ohanian Is Betting Big on Women’s Sports

Alexis Ohanian reflects on his evolution from Reddit cofounder to one of today’s most dynamic sports investors.
Terry Rozier
October 24, 2025

NBA Strongly Denies Quietly Suspending Terry Rozier in 2023

Brian Windhorst appeared to walk back his comments Friday morning.
Rozier
October 23, 2025

Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups Will Fight Gambling Cases

Both disputed prosecutors’ versions of events Thursday night.
Chicago Bulls
October 23, 2025

NBA Betting Scandal Goes Far Beyond Terry Rozier and Damon Jones

A federal indictment suggests information about several teams was being sold.
Billups
October 23, 2025

Chauncey Billups Played Key Role in Elaborate Poker Fraud, FBI Says

Billups and Jones attracted victims to play rigged games, the FBI says.