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 exchanges between 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 and disregard 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.