The embattled Professional Tennis Players Association earlier this year strongly hinted it would bring a defamation claim against Andy Roddick’s podcast, Served, if it persisted in its reporting on the PTPA, or in fact ran with a story, which has not been published, at least yet.
The PTPA hired Clare Locke, a top defamation law firm known for its muscular approach to the media, to send the correspondence to the podcast. The January 7 letter even contended that PTPA co-founder Novak Djokovic left the organization because of the questions Served’s freelance reporter, Tim Rohan, was asking. Rohan was a long time Sports Illustrated reporter. The questions revolved in part around allegations of double dealing and that the FBI was investigating the PTPA and its financial backer, Winners Alliance.
“Mr. Rohan has caused my clients irreparable damage by spreading false and defamatory claims that (executive director) Mr. (Ahmad) Nassar, PTPA, and Winners Alliance are engaged in misconduct during his reporting,” Elizabeth Locke wrote in a letter to the podcast’s attorney. “These false claims directly caused Novak Djokovic’s abrupt and highly damaging departure from PTPA. Served’s continued refusal to provide a meaningful opportunity to comment on the factual allegations that will be included in any eventual story will cause even greater damage to my clients and is evidence of Served’s actual malice.”
The double dealing focuses largely on Nassar because of his dual roles at the PTPA...
The embattled Professional Tennis Players Association earlier this year strongly hinted it would bring a defamation claim against Andy Roddick’s podcast, Served, if it persisted in its reporting o...