Alcaraz distances himself from Djokovic-backed lawsuit against ATP

Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz has distanced himself from the lawsuit filed against the ATP by the Novak Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA), saying he was not informed about the legal action and does not support it.

Speaking ahead of the Miami Open, the world number three admitted he was taken by surprise when he saw the strongly-worded statement from the PTPA on social media.

"Honestly, it was surprising for me, because nobody told me anything about it. I only found out yesterday when I saw it on social media," Alcaraz said.

The lawsuit, which challenges the governance of professional tennis, includes a statement from Alcaraz criticising the ATP schedule. However, the Spaniard insisted he was unaware of his words being used in the legal filing.

"I saw that they included something I said in a press conference, which I didn't know about. I don't support that letter, I don't support it at all, because I wasn't informed," he added.

Alcaraz acknowledged that while he agrees with some aspects of the complaint, he does not endorse the overall legal challenge.

"There are some things I agree with, some things I don't, but the main thing here is that I'm not supporting this," he said.

The PTPA, founded in 2020 by Djokovic and Canada's Vasek Pospisil, has listed around 20 players in at least one of its legal actions. The association claims that the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) operate as a cartel, imposing "draconian, interlocking anti-competitive restraints and abusive practices" while neglecting player welfare.

The ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA have all rejected the allegations, defending their governance of the sport.