Tennis legend Martina Navratilova believes current WTA CEO Steve Simon should be held accountable for a "sequence of bad decisions" and called for change at the helm.
Navratilova shared her thoughts in light of the fiasco that has engulfed this year's WTA Finals. The decision to stage the premier women's event was made at the 11th hour. And since the players made the trip to Cancun, they've grown increasingly disgruntled every single day with the playing conditions.
In recent weeks, top-ranked WTA stars such as Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Marketa Vondrousova have led a player rebellion against the women's governing body. They sent a proposal with a list of demands to WTA offices including guaranteed minimum pay and improved tournament scheduling.
The 67-year-old opined that it is high time that the WTA embraces change in the leadership team and is advocating for a woman to replace Steve Simon who has served as CEO since 2015. Simon has refrained from engaging the media on behind-the-scenes meetings that took place between the WTA board and the players.
"It shouldn’t have come that late in the year, making this decision. There was a sequence of bad decisions. Ultimately, Steve Simon has been the boss for nine years and here we are."
"Players adjusted and they had to but to come to Cancun in the rainy season? You cannot be hoping it’s not gonna rain at a premier event for the WTA Tour. It was just a whole bunch of decisions. You have to own the bad decisions you made and make some choices after that."
As such, the communication that took place between the WTA and the players in the past week has been leaked to journalists. In light of the furore that has happened, Navratilova states that it will be "hard" for Steve Simon to keep his job and believes there are qualified women who are capable of filling that role.
"Maybe it’s time for new leadership. For me personally, this being a women’s association and being involved for such a long time from the beginning, and we’ve only had three women at the head of it. I think it’s time. Hopefully, when we get a new leader, it’s a woman. There are plenty of them that are qualified for the job. It’s gonna be hard for Steve to stay in the job because everything is pointing the other way."
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