Tennis Beyond the Court: Safeguarding Players through Legal and Structural Reforms in the ATP, WTA and ITF

This thesis examines the legal and structural reforms needed to better safeguard professional tennis players within the ATP, WTA and ITF governance frameworks. It analyses the vulnerabilities created by the classification of players as independent contractors, including limited collective representation, financial insecurity, mental health pressures and insufficient institutional support. The thesis also addresses key integrity risks in tennis, including match-fixing, betting-related misconduct, anti-doping enforcement and online abuse, while assessing the role of the ITIA and the PTPA in strengthening player protection.

Through a comparative perspective with models such as FIFPRO, it proposes a more unified, transparent and player-centred governance structure, with reforms focused on safeguarding, legal support, mental health, fair compensation, calendar sustainability and long-term career protection.