THE CANADIAN PRESS
Stacey Allaster has landed her dream job.
The Canadian was promoted to chairman and chief executive officer of the WTA Tour on Monday. She succeeds Larry Scott, who left the organization to become the commissioner of the Pac-10 Conference.
Allaster said she’s honoured to be given the responsibility of running an organization tennis great Billie Jean King founded 36 years ago.
"The work Billie Jean King championed back in ’73 throughout her career … paved the way for people like me who had dreams to be female leaders on a global stage on and off the court," Allaster said in a phone interview from the WTA head office in St. Petersburg, Fla. "It’s with immense humility that I accept this opportunity with a great sense of responsibility."
Allaster, 46, a native of Welland, Ont., assumes the new post after serving as president of the women’s professional tennis circuit since 2006. Prior to joining the WTA, Allaster was the vice-president and tournament director at Tennis Canada.
"I’ve got a dream job," Allaster said. "I wake up every morning and I get to market the very best professional female athletes in the world with the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, two of the greatest champions that have and ever will play our sport.
"Then there’s Maria Sharapova, who is coming back on to the Tour off her injury. We’ve also got another group of very talented stars who are establishing themselves like Dinara Safina while Elena Dementieva is well established and played one of the best matches of the year against Serena at Wimbledon.
"I’m thrilled."
The Williams sisters are once again dominating the women’s game. Serena Williams has won two of the three Grand Slam events this season, beating Safina in the Australian Open before downing her sister Venus at Wimbledon.
Capturing the Wimbledon title gave Serena Williams three of the last four Grand Slam titles — she’s the defending U.S. Open champion. Afterwards, Serena Williams openly questioned how she could be ranked No. 2 overall behind Safina, who has yet to win a major.
Allaster acknowledges the place the Williams sisters currently have in women’s tennis but feels the likes of Safina and Dementieva further solidify the game, as will Sharapova as she works to regain her form following a shoulder injury. And Allaster said the sport’s future looks bright with the emergence of such young stars as Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki as well as Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., who is currently ranked No. 22 in the world.
"She is doing a great job and it’s a pleasure to run into her on tour because she’s a fantastic young lady, on and off the court," Allaster said of Wozniak. "I think she has to continue to work hard on her fitness because if you look at those who are in the top-10 they are very dedicated to their fitness.
"And she has to believe that she’s there. She’s almost a top-20 player in the world and has to believe she can win those big matches versus going out there and saying ‘That was a good experience."’
A major challenge Allaster faces is trying to grow women’s tennis in spite of the struggling world economy. But Allaster says the WTA Tour is in a very strong position to not only weather the storm, but also prosper.
"We’ve got diversified revenue, long-term contracts and the fact we’re in 34 different countries helps smooth it out," she said. "Being one week a year in a market makes it very special.
"Consumers are still going to entertainment events and our attendance is flat, so I take that as a real positive compared to how the other leagues are doing."
Allaster said her prior experience at Tennis Canada will also serve her well in her current post.
"My entire career at Tennis Canada has always been about driving revenue during tough economic situations or natural disasters," she said with a chuckle. "So I am well groomed to deal with the challenges that lie ahead."
Allaster’s appointment capped the WTA board’s four-month search for Scott’s successor.
"It was very extensive, very professional and very rigorous but I think at the end of the day it was the right thing for the organization to do and the right process for me," she said. "I grew personally and professionally throughout it and now I have the unanimous support of the board with a good, firm mandate.
"I learned a lot and I think I’ve got a real understanding of what it means to lead this organization. Throughout the process I became more inspired and committed to achieving this goal."
Allaster called Scott "a visionary."
"He knew where he wanted to take women’s tennis and part of that vision is why I joined Larry," she said. "I was on the board when we brought Larry in and he really wanted to elevate women’s tennis.
"And he also knew how to build consensus amongst a diverse interest group. Our sport is definitely fragmented and being able to achieve what we did accomplish had a lot to do with Larry’s leadership style."
Allaster’s appointment drew praise from players and WTA officials alike.
"I believe that Stacey will be a great leader for the Tour, understands how players can help drive our business, and has all the tools to take our sport to even greater heights," Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and Player Council member, said in a statement.
WTA board member Steve Simon called Allaster "one of the most talented and respected leaders in our sport."