Frontpage


Helfant to step down from ATP

 

Adam Helfant ATP World Tour

Adam Helfant ATP World Tour

Adam Helfant will quit as executive chairman of the ATP World Tour at the end of the year after increasing the revenue and reserves of men’s tennis during his three-year stay.

The 46-year-old said he’s leaving for “professional reasons” without giving details. The tour’s commercial revenue will have risen by around 65 percent during Helfant’s time, the ATP said today in a statement. Its reserves are forecast to have increased by more than 1,100 percent in the period.

“We’re in the midst of a golden age now in terms of the action on court,” Helfant said in a phone interview from Riverside, Connecticut. “We plan on trying to take advantage of that from a business perspective. With a little luck, we’ll have an announcement or two by the end of the year.”

“I recently informed the ATP’s board of directors that I have respectfully declined their offer to continue on,” Helfant said. “Since I joined the ATP I have felt an immense sense of responsibility to the sport, and the people who have devoted the better part of their lives to it, to leave things better than when I arrived.”

He added: “I am proud to say the Tour is stronger than ever – in terms of on-court action and our business – and is well positioned for the future. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished. Yet, there comes a time when it makes sense to look to the future and consider other opportunities. For me, that time is now.”

Roger Federer, president of the ATP Player Council, said that Helfant would leave the sport “in great shape” and added: “We look forward to helping to identify a new leader for this important position.” ATP board member Gavin Forbes said: “Adam has done a terrific job as president of the ATP and we are disappointed he will not be returning next year, but we respect his decision and wish him all the best. The Tour is in a fantastic position and well-placed to continue on the same exciting path.”

Gavin Forbes, an ATP board member, said in the statement that Helfant had done a “terrific job” and that the board is “disappointed he will not be returning next year, but we respect his decision and wish him all the best. The Tour is in a fantastic position and well-placed to continue on the same exciting path.”

Speak Your Mind

*