Announcing the talks, the recently-formed International Men's Tennis Association also revealed some of the sport's leading names had signed up to the union.

World number one Lleyton Hewitt and former Grand Slam champions Marat Safin, Goran Ivanisevic and Yevgeny Kafelnikov are all members.

The IMTA, led by player leaders Wayne Ferreira and Laurence Tieleman, was formed earlier this year to increase the players' 'voice' in men's tennis and to improve accountability by the governing bodies.

It was set up as a trade organisation that hopes to replace the ATP Players Council as the voice of the players, not as a rival tour.

The union have called for the audited (men's tour organisers) ATP accounts for the past five years, a list of how much the top 25 ATP employees are paid and a breakdown of the structure, management and performance of the players' pension fund.

So far it has signed up 62 members.

"We felt the time was ripe to release the list of players supporting the IMTA," Ferreira said in a statement released at the French Open on Tuesday.

INVITATION EXTENDED

"Given the quality and quantity of the players that have stepped forward to support the IMTA, we now feel that we have the critical mass necessary to move forward and to seek recognition from the governing bodies of tennis, including the ATP.

"This view has been reinforced by the invitation extended to the IMTA by the Grand Slam Committee to attend a meeting this week to discuss the future of tennis and the role of the players in shaping that future."

At the talks, IMTA representatives expect to discuss topics such as scheduling, governance and financial issues that impact the sport.

"Everyone in tennis needs to understand that the players are the sport," Henri-James Tieleman, the IMTA's administrative director said.

"The players have been kept in the dark for too long about issues that impact them financially and even sometimes physically.

"On their behalf, the IMTA intends to scrutinise these issues and provide meaningful input on issues that directly affect the everyday life and careers of players.

"As the only pure players' association, the IMTA is in a unique position to make this happen."