“I don’t know why he said that” – PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil caught off guard by Novak Djokovic’s contradictory comments about lawsuit

After co-founding the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) in 2020, Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil now appear to be at odds over a major lawsuit the organization has launched.

In March 2025, the PTPA filed a lawsuit against tennis’ main governing bodies — including the ATP, WTA, ITF, and the International Tennis Integrity Agency — accusing them of acting as a “cartel” and enforcing “anticompetitive restraints and abusive practices.”

Despite being a co-founder, Djokovic chose not to be named as a plaintiff. Speaking to media at Indian Wells, the 24-time Grand Slam champion expressed mixed feelings:
“I hope all governing bodies, including the PTPA, can come together to resolve these issues. There are things I agree with in the lawsuit, and things I don’t. Some of the wording was a bit strong, but the legal team knows what it’s doing.”

Pospisil Caught Off Guard

Canadian player Vasek Pospisil, who is named as a plaintiff alongside Nick Kyrgios and others, was surprised by Djokovic’s remarks.

“I don’t know why he said that,” Pospisil admitted during a court appearance. “It wasn’t in line with our past conversations. Novak was very much involved through his agent and was kept updated well before the suit was filed.”

Pospisil explained that Djokovic had opted not to be directly involved to avoid making the issue about himself:
“From our talks, his preference was to stay in the background and focus on the collective goals of the players. But make no mistake — he was fully aware of, and supportive of, the lawsuit.”