By Vito Tonejc
After filing an initial complaint six months ago, a group of current and former professional tennis players filed an amended complaint on September 26, 2025, and added the four Grand Slam tournaments—Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open—as additional defendants. The lawsuit was filed as a potential class action and included a multitude of antitrust claims challenging alleged anticompetitive practices by the sports’ governing bodies. A portion of the lawsuit focuses on players and allegedly restrictive rules about them competing weekly. This article will focus on such rules, examining the policies during the competitions, especially the number of tournaments played in a 7-day span of competition.
Professional women’s tennis is governed by the WTA, with the ATP overseeing the men’s professional tour. The ITF runs certain minor league professional tennis events. All three entities—WTA, ATP, and ITF—were initially sued in March 2025 in New York federal court, but the ITF was subsequently dismissed from the lawsuit as a defendant. Collectively, the WTA, ATP, and ITF are very strict with withdrawal deadlines and rules regarding competitions, especially events that are not tied together with the WTA, ATP, and ITF. A fourth entity, UTR, is not involved in the litigation, but also offers professional tennis events. UTR rules cover the pro tennis tour (“PTT”) tournaments where a player can earn money as a reward for competing in the event, but no ranking points allocated by the WTA or ATP. On the other side there are WTA, ATP, and rules that pertain to the types of tournaments that include WTA and ATP ranking points in addition to the prize money for a player for competing at the tournament. The relevant guidelines and rules from each entity are below.
ATP
According to the ATP rules: “A player may only enter and compete in one Grand Slam, ATP Tour, ATP Challenger tour or a special event during that tournament week. Once a player enters and is accepted into the main draw of singles, doubles or the qualifying competition, he is committed to that tournament for the week, unless released by the Senior Vice President – Rules and Competition or Supervisor” (ATP Rulebook). There is an exception when “a player who has lost in the tournaments, may enter the qualifying for a tournament scheduled for the next week. The supervisor may authorize a player who is still competing in the main draw of a tournament in singles and/or doubles to enter the qualifying for the next week’s ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour tournaments provided that no special scheduling by either tournament shall be required” (ATP Rulebook).
The ATP also has another policy: “No player who has entered and been accepted into the main draw or qualifying of an ATP Tour or ATP Challenger Tour tournament shall play in any other tennis event during the period of such tournament, except if appropriately released by ATP.” (ATP Tour). This rule applies to all the players who have plans on competing in “Special Events,” in Europe the most popular is the league club matches competition in Germany, France, and Italy, where a player could compete in those events over the weekend, but the player needs an official “release” from the ATP Event that lets the player play the Special Event.
WTA
WTA rules prohibit competition in multiple tournaments during the same week, unless they are specifically designed as combined event where men and women play at the same location but separate tournaments (combined meaning that they are at the same time and same venue as ATP tournaments, such as Indian Wells). In addition, WTA rules allow players to play mixed doubles and doubles tournaments in the same week (if they are offered at the same tournament). Specifically, “a player may only enter and compete in one (1) WTA tournament or Women’s ITF World tennis tour event per tournament week. Once a player enters and is accepted into the Qualifying competition, she is committed to play that Tournament to completion or elimination or that week” (WTA Rulebook).
ITF
ITF rules state: “Players accepted into ATP tour main draw or ATP Tour qualifying draw or ATP Challenger main draw at the ITF entry deadline and/or withdrawal deadline will be removed from all entered ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments (M15 or M25). Players are reminded that if they are notified by the ATP of being accepted into an ATP Tour or Challenger tournament after Thursday 2pm GMT they MUST immediately log into their IPIN account and withdraw themselves from any ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments where they had already been accepted into the qualifying or main draw to avoid potentially receiving a no-show fine. Once you have withdrawn yourself, please send an email to mens@itftennis.com stating the tournament that you have withdrawn yourself from via IPIN and provide the ATP confirmation that you have been accepted into an ATP tournament to appeal any potential ITF late withdrawal fines imposed.” (ITF FAQ).
UTR
UTR rules provide: “When a player is accepted into the qualifying or main draw of tournament as direct acceptance or Wild Card at any time after the Registration Deadline they are committed to that PTT Tournament, without exception” (utrsports.net). A player who is committed to and/or has played in the Main Draw or qualifying of a PTT tournament may not enter or compete in any other tennis events during the period of such tournament, without exception…Players may not be accepted into any other tournaments during the same week.” (utrsport.net)
The plaintiffs have cited to such rules as alleged anticompetitive conduct. For example, according to the complaint, the ATP “prohibits male commitment players from playing in any event other than a Grand Slam, ATP Tour Tournament, or ATP Challenger Tour tournament if the tournament is scheduled (i) within the tournament weeks of any ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament, ATP 500 Tournament, or the Nitto ATP Finals… if the event is located within 100 miles of the tournament or in the same market of the tournament, as determined by the ATP CEO, or (iii) within the period of any ATP Tour 250 tournament if the event is located within 100 miles of the tournament or in the same market area of the tournament as determined by the ATP CEO” (Pospisil et. al. vs ATP Tour et. al Complaint).
The primary federal antitrust statute, the Sherman Act of 1890, generally forbids contracts, combinations and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain trade. The Sherman Act also prohibits monopolization of trade and commerce. This is important to mention, according to the plaintiffs, since WTA, ATP, and ITF could collude with no competitors and create a de facto monopoly. This is why some players—if permitted under the rules—elect to participate in different tours such as PTT UTR, even though such options do not grant ranking points.
Within weeks of filing the second amended complaint, the various defendants all submitted briefs to the court asking the judge to allow for arbitration or sever the case. The case is ongoing with no definitive ruling by the district court judge until early 2026 on the specific issue of player restrictions vis-à-vis antitrust laws and the multitude of other alleged anticompetitive harms stemming from tennis governing bodies’ policies.
Sources
ITF Tour FAQ. Itftennis.com. (n.d.). https://www.itftennis.com/en/about-us/organisation/faqs/?type=itf-tours
Pro Tennis Tour tournament calendar. UTR Sports. (n.d.-a). https://www.utrsports.net/pages/ptt-tournaments?utm_source=chatgpt.com#openregistration
ATP Tour Official Rulebook: Chapter 8 – The Code. ATP Tour, 2025. PDF file.
https://www.atptour.com/-/media/files/rulebook/2025/2025-rulebook-chapter-8_the-code_10feb.pdf
2025 WTA Official Rulebook. WTA Tour, Inc., 2025. Section IV — Withdrawals and Retirements, p. 57. PDF file. https://photoresources.wtatennis.com/wta/document/2025/01/06/50d1eafa-e678-4081-bfa8-5576f670f801/2025-WTA-Rulebook-1-5-2025-.pdf
Pospisil v. ATP Tour, Inc., WTA Tour, Inc., & The Grand Slam Board, No. 1:25-cv-02207 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 23, 2025) (amended complaint).
Vito Tonejc is a thesis-track master’s student at Florida State University.
