Steve Simon set to relinquish role as WTA Tour CEO, preference to find a female candidate to replace him
WTATuesday, 12 December 2023 at 18:30
Steve Simon, will relinquish his role as CEO of the WTA Tour with the preference to find a female successor after the firestorm of Cancun at the WTA Finals which saw the chief executive and chairman since 2015 under huge scrutiny.
World No.1 at the time, Aryna Sabalenka said that she felt 'disrespected' by the way that the event was organised. While 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, Martina Navratilova thought it was time for new leadership.
Female successor preferred
"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. But Simon will not leave the WTA entirely as he will become executive chairman once his successor has been appointed.
He will focus on governance, integrity and WTA strategic interests, with the new Chief Executive still reporting to him. "This past summer I shared with the WTA board that if the WTA is going to remain at the forefront of women's sports, we need to go through a full review of our organisational structure," Simon told BBC Sport.
"So they are not tied to anything that happened in Cancun or further perceptions that it hasn't been the easiest of years.
"I do think it's in the best interests of the organisation because it's grown so much over these last eight years. The combined role - you're going to start missing some things, there's only so many hours in the day."
He said that he hopes he retains the confidence of the players. "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."
This is despite a letter going into the WTA which openly criticised the long schedule, maternity cover and not earning a living wage for playing in the top 100 and getting cover for loss of earnings.
While Navratilova's want for a female candidate is seemingly the expectation. "I think our preference is that we do find a female candidate - I think it makes sense. I think it would be in the best long-term interests of the organisation, yes."
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.
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