"I feel I'm leaving at a great time when the tour is in the strongest position it's been in," said Scott, 44, in a phone interview Wednesday. "We've broken barriers, increased the worldwide popularity of the sport and strengthened the tour's financial position."
He added: "I can't say I have any regrets."
Scott, the CEO since 2003, will step down on June 30 to take over as commissioner of the Pacific-10 conference. He will trade his Florida residence and hectic globetrotting for the San Francisco Bay Area and more time with his wife and three children.
"My longest average trip will be from California to Arizona or to Washington State," he laughed.
Scott's period of leadership will likely be regarded as peaceful and prosperous, despite problems ranging from chronic injury-related absences to Middle East inflexibility.
Under his stewardship, Scott hit a number of financial milestones, including a record $88 million title sponsorship deal with mobile phone company Sony Ericsson (2006-10), $84 million in commitments from Doha and Istanbul to host the tour's year-end championships through 2013, plus more than $700 million in new stadium investment around the world. The $86 million in prize money this year is 34% more than 2008.
"He had many plans when he stepped into the job, and he achieved many of them," said Maria Sharapova, who was upset in the second round by Gisela Dulko Wednesday. "A lot of the money that we're earning and the sponsors that we have, we definitely attribute to him and his help."
Scott, an affable and accessible consensus builder who gamely navigated the sport's often competing interests, presided over a period of growth that saw many Russian stars such as Sharapova emerge, others such as Martina Hingis come back and still others such as the Williams sisters defy the tendency to burn out and fade away.
"I realized how dynamic things have been at top of game," said Scott, who marveled that his first Wimbledon final as CEO featured Venus and Serena Williams, who remain favorites this fortnight.
Scott cited his role in unprecedented innovation in the sport this decade such as electronic line calling, on-court coaching and truncated doubles matches. Those advances made women's tennis a more compelling "entertainment proposition going forward," he said.
Scott said the tour made inroads in gender equality through its partnership with UNESCO and by increasing its foothold in the Middle East and Asia, where it now has an office, a top-tier tournament in Beijing and a development deal with the Chinese government.
Perhaps his biggest legacy is the so-called roadmap. The plan, which began this year, includes a shortened calendar and new player commitments aimed at reducing injuries and ensuring more top players show up at tournaments.
According to tour officials, it has already paid dividends.
Not including Wimbledon, main draw withdrawals are down 28% compared with last year, and top-10 players have met their commitment 86% of the time vs. 78% a year ago.
While the roadmap doesn't "fix things overnight," Scott said, "it's heartening to see withdrawals down in the first year."
Scott, a Harvard-educated former pro who spent 13 years with the ATP Tour, said his proudest achievement from a historical context was helping bring equal prize money to the four majors. Wimbledon was the last to convert, in 2007.
He said he was most caught off guard in February when the authorities in the United Arab Emirates denied Israeli player Shahar Peer a visa to compete at an event in Dubai. The decision created an international firestorm and the following week the UAE allowed a male doubles player, Andy Ram, to compete there.
"It was certainly one of the more surreal weeks I've ever had professionally," he said.
With the Sony Ericsson deal expiring next year and the worldwide economy in tatters, some have the impression Scott is getting out while the going is good.
Scott said that was "not true" and that the tour's revenue streams were more diversified than ever.
He said criticism of Dinara Safina's ascension to No. 1 without winning a Grand Slam is unfair.
"I know the public and media sometimes question it, but it never gets questioned in the locker room," he said.
Another hot-button issue this week at Wimbledon — the noise level of players such as Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal — is getting "a fresh look," he said.
While intense rivalries and Roger Federer's chase for history have added luster to the men's game, Scott said he is bullish on the pipeline of emerging female stars such as Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. He is also high on Asia.
"I see huge potential in China," he said. "I do think five to 10 years from now it will be one of the powers in tennis."
He is not overly concerned about the dearth of top American stars but recognizes that homegrown stars like the Williams sisters from world's biggest marketplace can breathe life into the sport.
"Tennis does have the benefit, unlike most sports, where there are global superstars like Sharapova and Federer that resonate with Madison Avenue and drive TV ratings," Scott said.
Scott's replacement has not been announced. The WTA has hired global search firm Korn/Ferry to assist with vetting candidates. Scott, who was a member of the search committee, expects his position to be filled in the next few weeks.
"He's done a great job," said No. 2 Serena Williams, who moved into the third round against Roberta Vinci on Wednesday. "He made women's tennis what it should be."
No comments:
Post a Comment