"Hopefully when we get a new leader, it's a woman": Martina Navratilova calls for new leadership after WTA Finals Cancun chaos
WTATuesday, 07 November 2023 at 22:15
Amid all of the issues that continue to be ongoing at the WTA Finals, Steve Simon who has been the chairman for nine years has been put under scrutiny and pressure and Martina Navratilova believes it is time for change.
On the Amazon Prime coverage of the WTA Finals, presenter Marcus Buckland who was joined by Navratilova and Daniela Hantuchova spoke about the issues that the tournament has been facing, but instead of speaking to Steve Simon either prerecorded or live, he said that he was asked twice to do a piece and declined.
Instead the broadcaster were fed the statement that was released to players in response to the letter sent airing concerns about the future of the WTA by players last week about them admitting it is not perfect.
Navratilova believes the time is now to install new leadership and believes it should be a woman who takes over.
“Maybe it’s time for new leadership. But for me personally, this being a woman’s association & being involved for such a long time from the beginning, & we’ve only had 3 women at the head of it. I think it’s time. Hopefully, when we get a new leader, it’s a woman. There’s plenty of them that are qualified for the job. It’s going to be hard for Steve to stay in the job. Everything is pointing the other way.”
Doomed from the start
She continued that the tournament was almost doomed from the start and that the bad decisions should be owned instead of brushed under the carpet.
“It shouldn’t have come that late in the year, making this decision. There was a sequence of bad decisions. Ultimately, Steve Simon has been the boss for 9 years & here we are… to come to Cancun in the rainy season? You cannot be hoping it’s not gonna rain at a premier event for the WTA Tour. It was just a whole bunch of decisions. You have to own the bad decisions you made & make some choices after that.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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