The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, has launched a new initiative to support athletes facing complex anti-doping challenges. The Athlete Counsel & Equity (ACE) program aims to provide pro-bono legal assistance to professional tennis players dealing with serious legal challenges, particularly those involving doping and corruption allegations.
The ACE program is a significant step towards ensuring that all players, regardless of their financial resources, have access to high-level legal expertise. The PTPA has partnered with prestigious law firms King & Spalding LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP to offer this support. This initiative was inspired by the experiences of Tara Moore, a player who faced a doping violation and spent a grueling 19 months fighting to clear her name.
Moore, who co-founded the ACE program, hopes it will help other players who find themselves in similar situations. The program aims to provide initial case assessments and connect players with legal counsel, helping them navigate the often opaque and flawed legal system. The PTPA’s mission is to support, protect, and advance players’ wellbeing on and off the court.
With the ACE program, the PTPA is working to ensure that no player has to face these challenges alone. The initiative is a beacon of hope for professional tennis players, offering them the necessary support to defend themselves against doping and corruption allegations without fear of financial ruin or emotional distress.