By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday April 14, 2025
Things continue to be tense between the ATP and the PTPA.
On Friday the dueling organizations were in court in Manhattan, where the PTPA was pursuing a gag order against the ATP.
Reilly Opelka, one of 12 ATP players that are named in the PTPA’s lawsuit against the tour, which went public on March 18, called in from Barcelona to testify, saying that he was approached by a member of the ATP’s Player Council in Miami, with the player warning him that he could lose his pension and be bogged down by legal fees if he continued with the case.
Last month, a group of tennis players sued the ATP and WTA, accusing them of a wide range of antitrust violations.That group recently alleged that the ATP is coercing players to rebuke the lawsuit.
Reilly Opelka said he was threatened by the ATP for supporting the lawsuit ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 12, 2025
Opelka said that the player, whom he would not name due to fear of retribution, was asked by ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi to deliver the news. The ATP and its lawyers say that Opelka is lying, but they did admit to going out and seeking ATP players who were willing to disavow the PTPA’s lawsuit on the day after it was started.
According to Front Office Sports, ATP Board Member Luben Pampoulov testified he asked players at the Miami Open to sign a statement disavowing the lawsuit. They stopped circulating the petition when the PTPA’s gag motion was filed. Only one player – American Ben Shelton – signed it.
Vasek Pospisil was in the courtroom and stated that the players fear retribution from the ATP. According to the reports, the ATP is rumored to be willing to spend between $50 and $100 million on the case. Included in Tour bylaws is a note that says that players are required to pay their own legal fees if they sue the Tour and lose.
According to Front Office Sports, the judge gave both sides a week to file new briefs on the gag motion, and said she would rule shortly after.
