Tennis union strikes deal with Australian Open

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) said Friday it had reached an amicable agreement with the organisers of the Australian Open, which removes Tennis Australia from a lawsuit against the tennis majors.

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The PTPA was founded 2021 as a breakaway from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and represents many top-500 men's and women's players, although co-founder Novak Djokovic quit on January 4.

In March it launched legal action against the tennis authorities – including the ATP and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) – accusing them of "financially exploiting" players and imposing an "unsustainable" tournament schedule on them.

In September, the PTPA sued the organisers of the four majors.

Tennis Australia reached its deal two days ahead of the start of the Australian Open on Sunday.

The PTPA will send the judge in charge of the case in the United States "a request for a settlement agreement with Tennis Australia," deputy executive director Romain Rosenberg told AFP.

"Any agreement on the necessary changes in tennis will have to be negotiated with all parties around the table," not just Tennis Australia, he added.

The announcement follows the departure of Djokovic, who said that his "values" and "approach" were "no longer aligned with the current direction of the organisation."