Hours after Novak Djokovic's departure, PTPA releases bombshell statement

Novak Djokovic sent shockwaves through the tennis world by confirming his departure from the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) on Sunday, January 4. Hours after the development, the PTPA released a bombshell statement, claiming itself to be the victim of a 'coordinated defamation' and 'witness intimidation' campaign on the back of the controversial legal action it took last year against tennis' governing bodies and the four Majors.

On Sunday, former World No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic took to X (formerly Twitter) and announced that he will play no further role in the PTPA going forward. The Serb had co-founded the association back in 2019.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association. This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented," the 38-year-old wrote in a series of posts on X.

Novak Djokovic

@DjokerNole

After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association. This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.

A little more than five hours after Novak Djokovic's update, the PTPA released a statement of its own via X. While the statement didn't carry any direct reference to the Serb and what he had to say, it made concerning claims about misinformation being spread about the association resulting from the lawsuit it filed against the ATP, the WTA, the ITF, the ITIA and the four tennis Majors last year.

"As part of its mission, the PTPA initiated litigation against the tours and Grand Slams to advance reforms related to governance, transparency and player rights. As a result, we have been targets of a coordinated defamation and witness intimidation campaign through the spreading of inaccurate and misleading narratives intended to discredit the PTPA, its staff, and its work," part of the statement read.

Novak Djokovic raised eyebrows with his remarks on PTPA's lawsuit

Novak Djokovic during a press conference at the 2025 Madrid Open (Source: Getty)

One of the most noticeable things about PTPA's class action lawsuit against tennis' juggernauts was the fact that its co-founder Novak Djokovic's name was missing from the list of plaintiffs. Unsurprisingly, the Serb was later asked about his thoughts on the lawsuit, and shockingly, he laid bare his disagreement with parts of it without being too specific.

"This is a classic lawsuit, so lawyers to lawyers, type of situation. So to be quite frank with you, there are things that I agree with in the lawsuit, and then there are also things that I don’t agree with," he had said at a press conference prior to the 2025 Miami Open.

It remains to be seen how the PTPA's future shapes up without the 101-time career singles titlist in its ranks. Meanwhile, the Serb also stated in his departure confirmation that his immediate focus is on tennis and his family.