By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, December 12, 2023
The WTA announced a significant shake-up to its leadership team today, weeks after it came under fire for the conditions of the WTA Finals in Cancun.
Photo credit: Getty for WTA
The pro circuit will start the new year with new changes at the top.
The WTA announced a significant shake-up to its leadership team today.
More: 2023 Season in Review
The WTA is actively seeking a new CEO after splitting its top executive post into two positions.
Steve Simon, currently Chairman and CEO of the WTA, will assume the role of Executive Chairman after the Tour hires a new CEO. The Women's Tennis Association said its CEO search is supported by the global executive search firm Korn Ferry.
Under its restructuring plan, the Tour will "will separate the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to allow greater focus on the WTA’s mission and goals and will bring on an additional new leader to assume the CEO role. The CEO will be charged with responsibility for managing and growing the operations of the WTA and its many initiatives."
In addition to Simon stepping down as CEO, Mickey Lawler, who has served as WTA President since 2015, is out opting "to pursue new opportunities" according to the WTA release.
Read the full WTA press release here.
The new CEO will face considerable challenges, including:
*The WTA aims to achieve total prize money equality with the ATP at 500 and 1000 tournaments in the coming years. How will that happen without an infusion of new sponsorship revenue?
*The Tour has been in talks with Saudi Arabia to host its own 1000 event, bid on the WTA Finals hosting rights or buy an existing 1000 tournament license. Conversations about partnering with Saudi Arabia have created controversy, given the Kingdom's record on human rights violations and the fact same sex activity for both men and women is illegal in Saudi Arabia.
*Skeptics say how can the WTA, which touts its support of equal pay and equal rights for women, do business with a nation where women are clearly not treated equally? While supporters of a Saudi-WTA alliance say women's tennis can help foster cultural and societal improvements for women in the Kingdom by playing there and setting an example. Supporters also say in this highly-competitive sports landscape, the WTA would be foolish to reject Saudi sponsorship, particuarly after the Saudis launched their own LIV golf Tour and bought out PGA stars. Conceivably, they could take a similar approach with tennis if the WTA rejects Saudi investment.
*While some champions ranging from Billie Jean King to John McEnroe to Roger Federer have long advocated for a combined ATP and WTA Tour, Steve Simon has publicly said that's not part of the Tour's game plan and clearly there could be significant obstacles to forming such an alliance, including prize money, scheduling, facilities, creating a cohesive calendar and a unified governing body.
Some former champions, including Martina Navratilova, support hiring a woman as new WTA CEO.
Following the WTA Finals in Cancun debacle, Hall of Famer Navratilova said on Amazon Prime it was time for a leadership change and noted "it's gonna be hard for Steve to stay in the job because everything is pointing the other way."
“Maybe it’s time for new leadership,” Navratilova said last month. “For me personally, this being a woman’s association and being involved for such a long time from the beginning, and we’ve only had three women at the head of it. I think it’s time.
“Hopefully, when we get a new leader, it’s a woman. There are plenty of them that are qualified for the job. It’s gonna be hard for Steve to stay in the job because everything is pointing the other way.”
Anne Worcester, the first woman ever appointed CEO of a sports-governing body, served as WTA CEO from 1994-1997 before moving on to become New Haven tournament director.
More recently, Stacey Allaster served a successful stint as WTA CEO. Allaster succeeded former ATP executive Larry Scott as CEO starting in 2009 before announcing her retirement from the WTA top spot on September 22, 2015. Allaster has gone on to become USTA Chief Executive, Professional Tennis.
The Tour's search for a new CEO comes weeks after the year-end WTA Finals staged in Cancun created controversy with some players, media and fans calling the event a debacle. The Cancun stadium court was not completed until shortly before the tournament began which gave some players little practice time and others no practice time on the court.
Players complained of dead spots on the court while trying to play championship caliber tennis against elite opponents amid gusty winds and rain delays.
Skeptics say the Tour committed self-sabotage by choosing outdoor conditions in Cancun for its crown-jewel rather than staging the event indoors.
The announcement of Simon stepping down as CEO comes nearly two years and 11 days after Simon announced the Tour had withdrawn its tournaments from China, including Hong Kong, effective immediately in response to China's suppression of Peng Shuai. Simon said concerns for the safety of WTA players and staff contributed to the decision to depart China.
"In good conscience, I don't see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and as seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault," Simon said in a statement. "Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022."
At the time, the Tour issued a statement calling for a “full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into Peng Shuai’s allegation of sexual assault."
Former world No. 1 doubles player Peng Shuai was missing after publicly accusing a Chinese Vice Premier of sexually assaulting her in a social media post on November 2nd. Since Peng's allegation and subsequent disappearance became global news, China’s state media issued both images and video of the former Wimbledon doubles champion having dinner and appearing at a local tennis tournament meant to show she is safe.
The WTA say the video fails to address key questions about Peng Shuai's safety and ability to freely speak her truth.
While the Tour was lauded by many for taking a human rights stand and cutting the cord with China, ultimately it never received the transparency it sought in Peng Shuai's case. There were serious financial repercussions for the Tour as well, which reportedly lost an estimated 40 percent of its tournament revenue in withdrawing from China.
Last April, Simon announced the WTA's return to China this season.
The decision to lift the China ban, Simon told BBC's Russell Fuller last spring, was based on the fact the WTA has not made any progress pursuing an investigation with the ban.
"We've been in this for 16 months and we are convinced that at this point our requests will not be met," Steve Simon told BBC Sport. "To continue with the same strategy doesn't make sense and a different approach is needed.
"Hopefully, by returning, more progress can be made."
Now, the Tour seeks a new CEO to navigate some serious challenges.