"Can't start a union and say we represent you" - Andy Roddick delivers his verdict on Novak Djokovic's claim of fighting 'injustice' through PTPA

Andy Roddick has criticized Novak Djokovic for promoting the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) during an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to Roddick, the Serb's attempts to curb perceived 'injustice' in tennis through the PTPA, which he co-founded with Vasek Pospisil in 2019, haven't yielded rewards.

Andy Roddick said the PTPA has failed to address players' concerns across the ATP and WTA tours.

"I just think that the players need to decide who is that for them. I don't think you can start a union and then say we represent you. I don't think that's the way it works and it hasn't worked for the PTPA," Roddick said on an episode of the 'Served' podcast.

Djokovic, a 24-time Major champion, said during his appearance at The Joy Forum in Riyadh:

"When you see there's injustice, you do something about it. In our sport, there's a big monopoly that has been there for decades. That was actually the biggest inspiration for me and Vasek Pospisil, who's my colleague tennis player, we co-founded PTPA, which is basically a union for players, which we don't have."

Andy Roddick reacted to Novak Djokovic-led PTPA's controversial lawsuit against tennis' governing bodies

Andy Roddick at the 2025 Laver Cup (Source: Getty)

Earlier this year, the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA raised eyebrows after it announced a lawsuit against the governing bodies of tennis, citing a lack of transparency and unfairness.

The lawsuit accused the sport's governing bodies of functioning collectively like a 'cartel' and highlighted a number of perceived issues in the already-existing scheme of things, such as the ranking system, mandatory participation of players at tournaments based on sponsorships, and more.

Andy Roddick found fault with how the lawsuit was presented.

"My biggest hope for this lawsuit, as much as you know, I agree with the macro issues of tennis and disagree with the way that this was delivered," he said on an episode of "Served." "I think it's an ugly look for tennis, hopefully this creates a sense of urgency for the tours and the Slams with the issues that players have that haven't been there before."

Interestingly, Djokovic himself admitted he did not agree with certain aspects of the lawsuit.