Black Tennis Pros

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced on Monday the appointment of Stacey Allaster, the Tour's President since 2006, as the new Chairman and CEO of the world's leading global sport for women. Allaster will begin her new role immediately and will continue to be based at the Tour's US headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. The naming of Allaster culminates an international search undertaken by the Tour's Board of Directors and led by leading global executive recruitment firm Korn/Ferry International.

Commenting on her appointment as Chairman and CEO, Stacey Allaster said: "I am honored to lead the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, which since its founding by Billie Jean King 36 years ago has continued to break barriers and grow into a premier global sporting league. The Tour and our sport have enjoyed unprecedented success over the past years, and we are poised for even greater heights in the years to come. Our primary and enduring focus will be our fans, our players and our tournaments, and continuing to build a premium sport and entertainment brand."

"Women's tennis and the Tour have never been stronger as a business, and Stacey has been at the center of this business success over the past years," said seven-time Grand Slam champion and Player Council member Venus Williams. "Stacey has helped to lead the development of a stronger Tour product through the passage of a healthier and streamlined circuit structure. I believe that Stacey will be a great leader for the Tour, understands how players can help drive our business, and has all the tools to take our sport to even greater heights."

"Stacey Allaster is one of the most talented and respected leaders in our sport," said Steve Simon, Tournament Board Representative and Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas Open women's event. "Stacey brings to the role a track record of success in the areas of sales, marketing and television, possesses a deep understanding as to the needs of tennis fans, and has the respect of our players, tournaments and entire tennis industry. Stacey's appointment is great news for both the organization and the sport."

Allaster, 46, succeeds Larry Scott, who held the position for six years prior to becoming the Commissioner of NCAA's PAC-10 Conference. Recognized as one of the most internationally successful female sports executives, Allaster came to the Tour on January 1, 2006 in the newly-created role of President, responsible for the Tour's operations, business development, television, new media and tournament and player relations. Since joining the Tour, Allaster has played an integral role in a number of groundbreaking Tour achievements and is credited with helping to take the business of women's professional tennis to unprecedented heights, including:

(i) passage of the Tour's landmark Roadmap reform plan, which has resulted in a 40% increase in prize money, $750 million of new stadium investment and a healthier calendar better able to ensure that fans see top players competing more often on the Tour's biggest stages;

(ii) implementation of more fan friendly innovations to the sport than in its prior history, including working with leaders of other tennis governing bodies to bring electronic line calling to the sport, as well as on-court coaching, pre-match player interviews, interviews with coaches during matches and a new doubles scoring format;

(iii) expansion of the Tour's global television footprint and launch of groundbreaking digital initiatives, including TennisTV.com in partnership with the ATP World Tour, bringing live streaming of matches from the world's top women's and men's Tour events to a global online audience, along with a brand new fan friendly official Tour website;

(iv) playing a lead role in the prior renewal of the Tour's biggest three sponsorship deals - Sony Ericsson, Whirlpool and Dubai Duty Free;

(v) achievement of the Tour's longstanding quest to grant equal prize money for women tennis players at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, along with the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships and five of the biggest events on the Tour; and

(vi) reestablishment of the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships as a premier season ending event.

Prior to joining the Tour, Allaster served as Vice President and Tournament Director at Tennis Canada, where she is credited with leading a professional tennis resurgence during her tenure. She was instrumental in generating record revenues and attendance at the Canadian Open (currently known as the Rogers Cup), and turning each of the tournaments in Montréal and Toronto into premier global sporting properties. Allaster played an instrumental role in the building and fundraising for Toronto's world-class Rexall Tennis Centre, and led a team that generated over $165 million in sponsorship and stadium revenues for the development of the sport.

A consummate tennis professional, Allaster has held every position in the sport of tennis, from a junior to a collegiate player, to a Tournament Director of prestigious Masters Series and Premier Events, to Tour President.

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(L-R) WTA CEO Larry Scott, tennis players Vera Zvonareva, Venus Williams, Richard Branson Serena Williams, Anne Keothavong, Ana Ivanovic and Elena Dementieva

(L-R) WTA CEO Larry Scott, tennis players Vera Zvonareva, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Anne Keothavong, Ana Ivanovic and Elena Dementieva, and Sony Ericsson Corporate Vice President of Global Communications Aldo Liguori (R)

Photos by WireImage

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KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP)—Outgoing WTA Tour chief Larry Scott says he began thinking about leaving tennis when his proposal for a merger with the men’s tour was rejected last year.

Scott will become Pac-10 Conference commissioner this summer after six years as chairman and chief executive officer of the WTA Tour.

Long an advocate for merging the women’s tour with the men, Scott met with the ATP board of directors in December to discuss his plan.

“For a variety of reasons it wasn’t accepted,” he said Wednesday. “It’s clear that tennis, for whatever reasons, isn’t ready for that vision to be realized.

“And then I realized, you know, I’ve done most of the major things that I could want to do. And if this coming together of the men’s and women’s tours is impossible right now, maybe it is a time to think about what else I could do that could be gratifying.”

Scott’s departure on July 1 was announced Tuesday. With three small children, he said the amount of travel was another reason for his decision.

“This Pac-10 opportunity really affords me the opportunity to sort of put away my passport for a little while,” he said.

Several top players said they were sorry to see Scott leave, and they praised his leadership in the growth of the sport. The women’s tour says revenue has increased 250 percent under Scott.

“We’re all sad,” Venus Williams said. “He had a special vision and the personality and character and talents and abilities to carry it out. It takes someone special like him.”

Scott said his greatest achievement was equal prize money for men and women at the sport’s 10 biggest events, including the four Grand Slam tournaments. He said he leaves the women’s tour in good shape financially despite the recession.

“All our major revenue contracts are long-term agreements that aren’t coming up soon,” he said. “We haven’t lost any tournaments or title sponsors. I think women’s tennis is holding its own extremely well compared to other sports.”

Speaking at the Sony Ericsson Open, Scott said he favors a merger of the tours because he believes both are hurt by differences in rules, branding and sponsorship.

“The easier we make it for fans to follow tennis and understand, the more following there will be, and the stronger we’ll be commercially,” he said. “We would present the sport in a less fragmented way if it was together.

“An example: This tournament, if you’re a fan in Europe, you watch the men’s matches on one channel, the women’s matches on a different channel. That can’t be the smartest way to present the sport.”

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In a move that will reverberate in both college athletics and professional tennis, the Pacific 10 Conference announced on Tuesday that Larry Scott, the chief executive and chairman of the Women’s Tennis Association, would become its new commissioner.

On July 1, Scott will replace Tom Hansen, who announced his retirement last year after a 26-year run in the job. Scott said it was difficult to leave the W.T.A., where he worked for equality in pay for women’s players, record sponsorship deals and an increase in worldwide television exposure.

Scott acknowledges that’s he’s not a traditional candidate, coming from outside college sports, but said his experience with both the W.T.A. and the men’s tour before that have prepared him for the job.

“They were looking for a different kind of leader from, let’s say, other conferences typical in this position,” Scott said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “They see this as a turning point for the Pac-10 and are looking for a new approach to promoting and branding the conferences as well as television and sponsorships.”

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INDIAN WELLS, California (AFP) — The WTA Tour is weathering the global economic downturn, but chief executive Larry Scott said the women's tennis tour can't afford to be complacent as fans and sponsors feel the pinch.

"The message I'm sending to players is we have to work harder," Scott said, saying it was more important than ever for popular stars such as Serena and Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova - as well as the tour's lesser lights - to go the extra mile to publicize the game and make sure sponsors get value for money.

Scott said his task was to "sensitize" players, who may be unaware of just how tough financial times might impact them.

"I don't assume players have a full grasp of what's happening in the economy," Scott said. "I'm going to be asking them to work harder than they've ever worked before."

That said, Scott said the tour to date was in good shape. But the WTA is planning to survey its tournaments asking them to report on their finances in recent years and expectations for 2010 in an effort to spot and head off any potential problems.

But Scott insisted the tour "is in the healthiest financial position it has ever been in," noting that total prize money in 2009 is up 23 percent and adding that he was not aware of any tournament that had lost a title sponsor.

He noted that the tournament in progress at Indian Wells has the backing of a new title sponsor this year in BNP Paribas.

In addition, tour sponsor Sony Ericsson is on board through 2010. That means the WTA tour doesn't envision having to make the kind of move recently announced by the ATP World Tour, which is rebating three million dollars in fees to its 63 tournaments.

The rebate is the men's tour's answer to a request from tournaments that wanted a reduction in prize money.

"Times are tough, everybody knows that," the ATP's chief operating officer Flip Galloway said in a statement. "The ATP is trying to give its tournaments some financial relief to help them through the current difficult times."

Scott admitted that the current economic climate certainly wouldn't foster expansion.

"I'm not expecting to see any tournament that's growing," he said, noting that even if attendance levels remain relatively even, people will likely spend less while on the grounds and income from smaller sponsors will likely dwindle.

"We're going into uncharted waters in terms of the economy," Scott said. "If we continue to hold our own I'll be satisfied."

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Note: Near the end of this article, after stating that Venus Williams has not changed her mind about playing Indian Wells, the article implies that the sole reason she and Serena are not playing is because they were booed after Venus defaulted with an injured knee.

If you recall, the sisters and their father, Richard Williams, have stated that they encountered racist behavior in Indian Wells.

In a November 2008 interview with the New York Times Serena Williams stated:

“I’m not going to be playing at Indian Wells. I’ve had some extremely life-altering things that happened to me there. So I told Larry Scott there are things that happened there that he understands shouldn’t happen, especially me being African-American. We’ve been struggling for so long. I try to stand up for what I believe in. I won’t be able to say anything positive about Indian Wells. If they really want me to promote it, then honestly, I don’t know what to say.”

AP/New York: Venus Williams wants to play her top-ranked sister when women's tennis returns to Madison Square Garden for the first time in nearly nine years.

Williams will join Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic on March 2 in the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup. They will compete for $1.2 million in prize money.

"I'm hoping for an all-Williams final," Venus said Wednesday during a conference call. "That would be most exciting for us and, of course, for the fans. I love playing with Serena, against her and in doubles."

The single-elimination exhibition will feature three players who won Grand Slam titles in 2008. Ivanovic won her first major at the French Open, Venus won Wimbledon and Serena won the U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open. Jankovic held the No. 1 ranking for part of last season.

The draw will be held later this month, and they will compete in a one-set, no-ad scoring semifinal. The winners will play a best-of-three final.

In her only appearance at Madison Square Garden, Venus lost in the 1999 WTA season-ending tournament.

"There is an unbelievable amount of tennis tradition there for the women," she said. "It was the pinnacle of the season. I feel honored to be playing."

The Garden hosted its final WTA season-ending championships in 2000. Williams captured her first season-ending event last November in Doha, Qatar.

Roger Federer and Pete Sampras played an exhibition match last March at the Garden, the first men's pro tennis competition there since 1996.

The Williams sisters last faced off at the Wimbledon final. They've combined to win the last three Grand Slam singles titles, so the goal is to stay healthy throughout the season.

"As long as that happens, I really play good tennis," said Williams, who teamed with Serena to win the Australian Open doubles title. "I love the challenge. If it wasn't challenging, we wouldn't love it as much as we do."

Williams will compete in the Dubai Tennis Championships, which begin Sunday. She hasn't changed her mind about skipping the tournament next month at Indian Wells, Calif., one of the mandatory events on the WTA schedule. In 2001, Venus defaulted with a knee injury before a semifinal match against Serena and they were booed by the crowd.

She said King, an investor in the Indian Wells tournament, hasn't tried to persuade her to play.

"I don't think that's her job or her aim," Venus said. "With Billie, her whole intention has been if I'm OK and happy more than anything else."

Venus said she hasn't been paying close attention to the recent steroid revelations in baseball. She considers tennis "a completely different sport."

"You have to hold your nerve, and I don't know if there's a drug for that," she said. "Tennis has a pretty good record and we continually test."

The showdown will be broadcast on HBO. It's part of "Tennis Night in America," an effort by the U.S. Tennis Association to get youth signed up to play.

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Editor's note:

WTA Chairman and CEO Larry Scott on Wednesday formally announced changes in the circuit's calendar and other rules and standards, including on-court coaching, the rankings system and mandatory player commitments. Many of the questions from reporters afterward concerned the Williams sisters' stance that they will not play at Indian Wells -- which will be one of four mandatory events in 2009 -- because of a racially tinged incident in the stands there in 2001. That's where ESPN.com writer Bonnie D. Ford decided to start when she had a chance to sit down one-on-one with the former player and ATP executive.

Bonnie D. Ford: You made this announcement Wednesday morning, you put all this work into these reforms, and yet much of the press conference was dominated by an incident that happened seven years ago, that involves two of your hundreds and hundreds of players, albeit two of the most important ones. How personally difficult and frustrating is it for you that you haven't been able to get closure on this?

Larry Scott: I'm disappointed that there's not an easy solution, but by the same token, I'm looking at moving on, the sport's moving on, the tour's moving on, and I don't think it's going to hold us back from making the type of progress we need to make. As I've dug into the issue, I've gotten heightened empathy for how Serena and Venus feel about the situation and I also feel empathy for the tournament. I've tried to do what I can to bridge gaps. You can only do so much. I respect where they're coming from.

Ford: Do you have any realistic hope that there's going to be movement on this between now and March?

Scott: Not for the 2009 tournament. I'm not expecting they're going to play; they've told me they're not planning on playing. If they do, it's a bonus. I think everyone's expectations are managed. I'd like to think that by the time both Venus and Serena's careers end, fans at Indian Wells will see them again, but I'm certainly not predicting that.

Ford: And the promotional activities players can do in lieu of attendance, they've agreed to do that, so you don't anticipate a suspension coming out of this?

Scott: No.

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