Tara Moore, the former British No. 1 doubles player, is pursuing a $20 million (£14.7 million) legal case against the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), alleging negligence led to a four-year doping ban that has derailed her career. The legal action, filed in Recent York southern district court, has drawn support from the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), the breakaway union currently embroiled in a wider dispute with tennis governing bodies.
Moore was initially suspended in June 2022 after testing positive for boldenone and nandrolone following a tournament in Bogota, Colombia. While an independent tribunal cleared her in December 2023, attributing the positive tests to contaminated meat, that decision was overturned on appeal by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July 2025. CAS reinstated the original four-year ban, discounting the 19 months Moore had already served, stating she had not adequately demonstrated the presence of the prohibited substances was accidental.
The lawsuit claims the WTA failed to adequately warn players about the potential risk of consuming contaminated meat, particularly before competing in Bogota. Moore argues this negligence has caused significant reputational and financial damage, seeking $20 million in compensation. Court documents allege a disparity in how doping cases are handled, citing instances where other high-profile players, including Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, received shorter bans following similar contamination incidents – three months for Sinner and one month for Swiatek.
The PTPA, founded six years ago by Novak Djokovic – who recently departed the organization – is providing legal support to Moore through its partnership with the law firm King & Spalding. While the union is not directly funding Moore’s legal fees, King & Spalding is reportedly representing her on a pro bono basis. This support comes as the PTPA simultaneously pursues its own legal claims against the WTA, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and the four Grand Slam tournaments, alleging collusion to suppress prize money and enforce restrictive ranking criteria in the same New York court.
The PTPA is similarly in the process of securing $1 billion in investment to establish a new global tour, presenting a further challenge to the established structures of the WTA and ATP. Last month, the PTPA reached a settlement with Tennis Australia, dropping its antitrust lawsuit against the organization in exchange for Tennis Australia’s cooperation – including the provision of confidential financial information – in the ongoing legal battle against the other Grand Slam tournaments and tours.
A WTA spokesperson stated the organization is aware of Moore’s filing and will respond through the legal process, reiterating their confidence in the impartiality of the arbitration process. The ITIA declined to comment. A source within the PTPA told the Guardian, “We’re supporting Tara, as she has been treated appallingly. It appears clear there are different systems in place for different people.”
