Tennis players are technically independent contractors, and as such, they are not allowed to unionize. Boardroom breaks down why a CBA could be in the future.
Casper Ruud is currently one of the top tennis players on the ATP Tour. A three-time Grand Slam finalist, the 26-year-old has been knocking on a championship’s door since 2022, but has sadly come up short on multiple occasions. Nevertheless, he continues to show up, play his best, and remind tennis fans why he deserves to be in the conversation for a future major title.
That being said, it was devastating as a tennis fan to watch the Norwegian lose 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 to Nuno Borges in the second round at Roland-Garros last month. A two-time finalist in the clay court tournament, Ruud later told reporters he was dealing with a pesky knee injury during the match. While it’s tough watching a contender for the Coupe des Mousquetaires crash out in the first week, there was a heavy focus on what Ruud said to reporters about whether it was a smart decision to even play in this year’s second Grand Slam.
In a candid moment, the Norwegian criticized the ATP’s ranking system and the bonus pool, describing it as a “rat race” in the fight for the top spot.
“You feel you’re obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don’t show up and play … the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won’t,” he continued.
The easy response would be to just not play. But it’s not that simple.
You see, players must defend their points from the year prior at major tournaments. That ultimately determines their ranking within the season and subsequently determines whether they qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals and the bonus pool. If Ruud doesn’t play in May, he certainly won’t be playing in November. Ruud added that an athlete’s year-end bonus could be cut by 25% should they skip a mandatory event.
“You’re forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that’s not what I think is very fair,” he said.
Whether or not you’ve got millions of dollars to your name in prize money (in Ruud’s case, $24.91 million), no one likes to willingly sit out of the thing that brings them joy and pays the bills. After all, there are multiple brands backing a player, investing millions to ensure they’re being represented on and off the court. If someone is nowhere to be seen when it comes time to compete, well, their chances of being sponsored for years to come are gone. Across other major leagues, there is some sort of players’ union in place to help prevent the aforementioned risk of losing out on a year-end reward. In tennis, there is no such thing, so pros are on their own when it comes to advocating for a shortened season or other benefits typically provided by the governing body.
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Uneven Court: Why Tennis Stars Are Pushing for Player Unions
Like golfers or boxers, tennis players are independent contractors, so they’re technically not allowed to unionize. That creates a problem because when money is at stake, tournament organizers tend to make decisions in favor of their own success rather than the health of participants. It’s a dangerous game that could have life-changing consequences if players’ well-being isn’t protected. Sure, they supposedly have the best physio and wellness team money can buy (just look at 38-year-old Novak Djokovic staying ahead of Father Time), but that doesn’t mean anything if one wrong attempt to save a break permanently keeps them from picking up a racket again.
For a sport that commands thousands for a single game ticket and awards millions to a Slam’s eventual winner, where they seemingly provide in riches and experiences, they lack in empathy. Ruud is not the only person who has blasted the tennis bosses for their decision-making. Taylor Fritz, Alex De Minaur (who also had an early exit at Roland-Garros), and Nick Kyrgios have all spoken out about the need for more structure surrounding players’ rights. Kyrgios, known for being unapologetically forthright throughout his professional career, took it one step further and filed suits in the United Kingdom, European Union, and United States back in March, alleging “anti-competitive business practices, monopolizing of professional tennis and systemic abuse.” The 22 players named as plaintiffs condemned the ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA for operating like a “cartel,” working overtime with select tournaments to reduce competition and fix prize money. Other accusations, like forcing name, image, and likeness deals and inadequate match and tournament conditions, are also named in the 162-page litigation.
In its defense, the ATP said it remains “committed to working in the best interests of the game — towards continued growth, financial stability, and the best possible future for our players, tournaments, and fans.” The WTA added in part that “contesting this baseless legal case will divert time, attention, and resources from our core mission to the detriment of our players and the sport as a whole.” No major developments have transpired since the filing, but it acknowledges that this is a serious shortcoming for a sport that continues to grow in popularity, and consequently, will draw more attention to future wrongdoings, whether leadership likes it or not.
Thousands will visit the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club over the next two weeks, feasting on strawberries and cream and Pimm’s Cup as they watch the best of tennis compete in the 138th edition of the Wimbledon Championship. The prize money is astounding, with more than $53 million up for grabs in London, and the winners of the men’s and women’s singles pocket roughly $4.1 million each.
Surely, Ruud will want his chance at finally becoming a champion. Alas, he’s forced to sit out the grass court contest — that knee remains a lingering problem. As we wait in anticipation of whether he’ll be back in time for the U.S. Open in late August, all we can hope is that the ATP, WTA, and any other organization that promises to keep players’ safety top of mind actually prioritizes their needs over financial gain.
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