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The former tennis player and coach, Rennae Stubbs, recently revealed the reason behind Novak Djokovic not signing his name to PTPA's lawsuit against the ATP and WTA, which demands reform in prize money sharing. Stubbs believes that the legendary tennis player is likely going to retire next season, and that is deterring him from openly supporting PTPA's lawsuits against governing bodies.
PTPA, the Professional Tennis Players Association, co-founded by Djokovic in 2019, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the ATP, WTA, ITF, and, most recently, Grand Slams. The lawsuit highlighted players' demand for a greater revenue share and a say in the hectic schedule. However, the former World No.1's name was not among the plaintiffs, and later, Djokovic distanced himself from it, citing a disagreement with some of the things filed in the lawsuit.
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In her "The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast" published on September 1, the former doubles World No. 1 shared her thoughts on PTPA's fight against the governing bodies and Djokovic's notable absence from the lawsuit. Co-host Caitlin Thompson asked Stubbs' opinion on what's stopping the Serb from fully committing to a lawsuit, saying (6:34):
"What's interesting about this letter was that Novak Djokovic didn't sign it, so maybe he feels like maybe the PTPA more accurately represents his interests, although notably, he is also not a part of the lawsuit officially filed against the Slams and the Tours. Do you think that he has given up?"
Stubbs replied:
"No? Do you think that he knows and is like, I'm supportive, but I'm not putting my name to it. I think he, do you think, it's because he knows he's going to be retiring in the next twelve."
Notably, several top players, including the current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, distanced themselves from a 'surprised lawsuit' in March.
"Carlos Alcaraz doesn't complain about the schedule" - Rennae Stubbs backs current World No. 1 amid Novak Djokovic-backed PTPA's lawsuit
Carlos Alcaraz was among the famous names added as plaintiffs in the initial lawsuit by the PTPA after the Spaniard complained about the hectic ATP tour schedule. However, Alcaraz revealed that he had no idea of the lawsuit and stated he is not supporting it.
Despite his frequent complaints about the tennis calendar, the six-time Grand Slam winner has signed up for various exhibition events. In the aforementioned podcast, Rennae Stubbs backed Alcaraz's participation in exhibition events amid PTPA's ongoing battle with the ATP tour regarding hectic schedule. She said (08:57):
"He doesn't complain about the schedule. No, he's the few who doesn't. He doesn't complain about it, And I think that's where he gets away with it a little bit of playing these exhibitions because he's like, I'm not complain...He also doesn't play certain tournaments based on the fact that he doesn't want to."
Alcaraz is confirmed to participate in the Six Kings Slam's second edition in October and the inaugural Miami Invitational tournament in December.
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