Hard for Steve Simon to stay on as WTA chief after Finals debacle: Martina Navratilova
Sports
Says it is time to have another woman in charge of the elite professional circuit
CANCUN (Reuters) – Martina Navratilova thinks Steve Simon is unlikely to survive as Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) chief after the calamitous Tour Finals.
She said it was time to have another woman in charge of the elite professional circuit.
Simon has been chairman and chief executive officer of the WTA for eight years since succeeding Stacey Allaster. But he has come under increasing fire from players, not least over the decision to stage the Finals outdoors in the Mexican resort city of Cancun.
“Maybe it’s time for new leadership,” 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Navratilova told broadcaster Amazon Prime. “For me personally, this being a woman’s association and being involved for such a long time from the beginning, we’ve only had two women at the head of it. “I think it’s time, hopefully, when we get a new leader, that 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 somehow, because everything is pointing the other way right now.”
Cancun was named as the venue for the US$9 million (S$12.2 million) WTA Finals, which brings together the top eight singles players and doubles pairs to conclude the season, less than two months before it started on Oct 29.
It was only confirmed as the host city on Sept 7 after Saudi Arabia had reportedly been lined up to stage the event. That possibility sparked criticism from United States legends Navratilova and Chris Evert, among others.
The venue was slammed by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who described the court conditions in Mexico as “not safe” after the opening day of group play. She also said she felt “disrespected” by the standard of organisation at the prestigious event.
A day later, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova said her maiden WTA Finals had been a “disappointment”. She added: “We do not feel that anyone listens to us and is interested in our opinion. Very sad.”
The complaints about the Cancun event have brought to a head widespread dissatisfaction with the way the WTA has been managing the tour. The Athletic reported that 21 of the best players in the world had recently written a letter to Simon outlining their grievances.
The tournament was supposed to end on Sunday but rain and high winds meant the semi-final between Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka was not completed until that day, with the final shunted to Monday.
“The players adjusted, they had to,” Navratilova added. “But to come to Cancun in the rainy season? “You cannot be hoping it’s not going to rain at the premier event for the WTA Tour. “You have to own the bad decisions you made and make some choices after that...
“There was a sequence of bad decisions. Ultimately, Steve Simon has been the boss for eight years and here we are.”
In a letter to the players leaked to the media last week, Simon said the late selection of Cancun to host the showpiece tournament was “based on a number of complicated factors”.
He wrote: “It is not a perfect event, we understand the conditions are a challenge and the WTA accepts responsibility for that.” Simon also signalled changes to the operation of the tour after a series of other complaints from top players about how they are treated.
The WTA said in a statement on Friday that it would continue to listen to players about the direction the tour should take. On Sunday, Swiatek knocked out rival Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals, putting the world No. 1 ranking within her reach ahead of Monday’s title match.
The win by the cool and collected Swiatek sets up a final showdown with American Jessica Pegula, and she can end the year on top if she hoists the trophy. Neither finalist has dropped a set in Cancun.
