Federal Judge Blocks WTA From Eliminating Tennis Governing Body's Board Seat

MANHATTAN (LN) — A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the WTA Tour from amending its bylaws to eliminate the International Tennis Federation's membership and bar its board-appointed director from WTA governance meetings, ruling the day before a second vote on the measure was set to occur.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero granted the ITF's preliminary injunction after oral argument, finding the global tennis governing body had shown both irreparable harm and a likelihood of success on the merits of its bylaw-interpretation claim. The court also found, in the alternative, that serious questions go to the merits and that the balance of hardships tips decidedly toward the ITF.

The dispute traces to a special WTA Board meeting on April 16, 2026, where a resolution was introduced to amend Section 2.1 of the WTA's bylaws to eliminate the Federation Class — of which the ITF is the sole member — from the WTA's membership structure entirely. The Federation Class Director voted against the resolution, which failed. A second vote was noticed for April 30, 2026, the day after Marrero issued his order.

Under the WTA's bylaws, certain amendments designated as Supermajority Matters can be adopted at a second meeting regardless of how the Federation Class Delegate votes. But Section 4.7(c) carves out an exception: no amendment that restricts the right of the Federation Class Delegate to elect a voting Director may be adopted without the Federation Class Delegate's affirmative vote.

Marrero found that carve-out controlling. "There is no greater restriction on the ability of the Federation Class Delegate to elect a voting Director than the wholesale elimination of the Federation Class's membership in the WTA," he wrote.

The WTA Board is composed of eight voting directors — three from the Player Class, three from the Tournament Class, one from the Federation Class, and the board chairman. The ITF argued that losing its seat would cost it a bargained-for governance right that money could not replace, particularly given that the WTA Board was also scheduled to meet on May 4.

Marrero agreed, citing Second Circuit precedent for the proposition that the denial of a bargained-for minority right to participate in corporate management can give rise to irreparable harm without more. He also noted that any actions taken by the WTA Board at the upcoming May 4 meeting may be difficult for the court to undo and would not be adequately remedied by a monetary award.

The WTA countered that the injunction would force it to maintain a governance arrangement it no longer wants. Marrero was unmoved, writing that the ITF and WTA have for decades maintained a relationship and the injunction will simply continue this status quo. He also pointed to the WTA's own Conflicts of Interest Policy, which the WTA had identified in its opposition brief as a tool to manage tensions between the organizations.

The court's order bars the WTA from amending its bylaws to eliminate the Federation Class or otherwise restrict the Federation Class Delegate's right to elect a voting director without that delegate's affirmative vote, and separately prohibits the WTA from blocking the Federation Class Director and Alternate Director from attending board meetings.

The WTA's April 9 notice to members described the purpose of the special meeting as "the consideration of the elimination of the Federation Class membership from the Corporation" — a framing Marrero's order now prevents the organization from acting on, at least until the merits are resolved.