WTA chief to relinquish role after ‘disrespected’ top players turn on boss
WTA chief executive Steve Simon will move into a new role within the organisation after receiving backlash from a number of prominent players. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and tennis great Martina Navratilova are among those to have spoken out against the American, who has been in his post since 2015.
Scrutiny against Simon ramped up following November’s WTA Finals in Cancun – a prestigious, season-ending event which drew criticism from top players due to poor court conditions and organisation.
Sabalenka, ranked number one in the world at the time, damningly stated that she felt ‘disrespected’ by the way the tournament panned out considering the top-eight players were all brought together to compete in Mexico.
Now, Simon has decided to relinquish his role as chief executive. The position will effectively be split in two following a full review of the WTA’s organisational structure, with Simon poised to become executive chairman once his successor is announced.
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And the outgoing chief exec has already stated that the organising body’s preference is to appoint a woman. “I think it makes sense,” he said. “I think it would be in the best long-term interests of the organisation, yes.”
Navratilova, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, saw Simon’s reshuffle coming when reflecting on the WTA Finals in Cancun. “It’s going to be hard for Steve to stay in the job somehow because everything is pointing the other way right now,” she told Amazon Prime.
Swiatek, meanwhile, criticised the WTA earlier this year for what she felt was inadequate support given to Ukrainian players following the Russian invasion. But Simon is hopeful that he will retain the confidence of established players on tour.
“If you look at how the business is growing and how everything is progressing, I would certainly hope so,” he said. “We’ll obviously find out as we continue to go forward.”
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The change-around will not rid Simon of crucial responsibilities, with his executive chairman role centred around governance, integrity and strategic interests. The new chief executive will also report directly to him.
Back in June, the WTA pledged equal prize money at almost every event in a decade’s time. But it was an otherwise rocky 2023 for Simon, with the organisation reporting significant financial losses for the second year in a row.
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