Moutet says many players support PTPA lawsuit against ATP, WTA
The Frenchman said he was happy to put his name on the court filings
Corentin Moutet | © AI / Reuters / Panoramic
Corentin Moutet has never been shy, on or off the tennis court. On Tuesday, the Frenchman was named as one of 12 tennis professionals pursuing a lawsuit with the PTPA against the ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA, and says that while only a few opted to support the movement publicly, many others agree with him.
“I think there are many, many players who support it, but there are few players, I think for reasons of interest, who want their name to be public,” he said in French during an interview with L’Equipe..
“They asked me if my name could be mentioned, I told them that obviously. I’m not afraid, I think there are many things that are unacceptable in what is happening. That doesn’t mean that we are not lucky, we have a good life, that’s for sure.
“But I think there are many things in this system that need to be changed, so it’s important that we have an association, supported by the best player in history (Novak Djokovic). It’s really something that makes sense to me. I’m not timid. If we can provide support to players, to those who are in need, who are lower ranked, if we can make things happen, I am always for it.”
The PTPA suit outlined a raft of issues that the organisation has with the sport’s governing body – 163 pages worth in their US filing, to be precise.
Chief among these are “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare” which include the length of the tennis calendar, revenue distribution and drug testing.
Moutet pinpoints unfair fines
Moutet, however, takes issue with a very personal aspect of the ATP’s governance: fines.
“The amount of fines they give us, it’s getting bigger and bigger,” he said. “We can get fined 10,000 euros like that, every week, for breaking a racquet. When I break one, I’m not proud of myself, it’s not the image I want to give, but to pay 10,000 euros in fines for that… I think we work hard to earn our money, we have our team to pay, we have a lot of expenses, so it’s still a lot of money.
“I think the concept of money needs to be put back on the agenda in the offices. Afterwards, if I had to list everything that isn’t normal, it would take time. It’s not necessarily up to me to speak, but I support their movement 100 percent.
“I think the important thing is that there is a movement, and we are united among players to do it. We just need to try to move things forward at our level. The important thing is to be united. I feel the support of the players, even if there are few players who have put their name forward. It’s important to support publicly.”
