When a casual fan tunes into ESPN to watch a Grand Slam or ATP event they often tune in simply for the tennis–to watch a big name player compete against another big name player and marvel at the speed, finesse, coordination of the high-performing athletes. Fans who attend these events in person long to see these athletes up close, to experience their athleticism in person, hear the squeak of their sneakers on the concrete, make personal connections with the tour members at the practice courts, etc. What many fans don’t understand that in the world of the ATP, much coordination between the players, the tournament organizers, and the leadership of the ATP goes on to make the tour and these tournaments happen. A key cog in the negotiations and balancing act between all of those entities is the ATP Player Council–a group of ATP players selected by their peers to help argue the case of the players on tour, who are essentially independent contractors. Leading that council for the past two years has been Eric Butorac.
Butorac, an American doubles specialist, is not a name common in the lexicon of the casual tennis fan, but to the ardent tennis followers, and to the ATP tour players, his name is synonymous with leadership, communication, and transparency as a long-time member of the council and its current president. From prize money to tour scheduling to off-season dates to rule implementation, the Player Council, led by Butorac, is the medium through which their wishes and beliefs are most effectively expressed to the ATP. Through his presence on the council, Butorac is leaving a clear legacy on tour.
There was no crystallizing moment when Eric Butorac decided he wanted to be the ATP Player Council President. It was simply a marriage of opportunity, experience, and calling. After six years serving on the council and time as Vice President under Roger Federer, Butorac felt that he “…knew a lot about what it was like to be a pro tennis player, and after working with Roger, I felt that I understood the needs of the top players, even though I never actually was one.” A key attribute to being the Player Council president is trustworthiness. As a voice for both some of the most iconic athletes in the world and some of the lowest-paid professional athletes in the world, Butorac and the council have a wide array of personality types, wants, and goals to represent when in discussions with the ATP leadership. As the old adage says, “trust is earned,” and that has been a calling card of Butorac’s presidency.
“I think the role has many components. I think over time I have earned their trust, but it has taken time.” Butorac notes the many roles and skills the president must have in guiding the waters between the players and ATP, but points out one specific role that he sees as the most important. “I think my most important role is that of communicator. I need to relay player’s opinions to the board and information back to the players.” Fellow American touring pro Rajeev Ram echoes and edifies Butorac as “having done a great job as both a player council member and president” and credits Butorac’s success to his ability of “explaining and articulating the issues being discussed” to the players. “He keeps the lines of communication open with everyone. He is very passionate about his job, and having someone (leading) who truly cares is half the battle.”
A doubles specialist on tour, married with one child and another on the way, Butorac’s combination of life experiences has given him a unique perspective on tour, which he often chronicles in his blog for United Tennis Ratings (a company that essentially uses data to rank every tennis player of every level in one ratings system). Burtorac has taken a well-documented atypical path to becoming a successful professional touring pro. Born and raised in Minnesota, Butorac flew under the radar of most major tennis programs, and after a year at Ball State University in Indiana, Butorac returned home to find success at NCAA Division III Gustavus Adolphus, where he became a Division III champion. The change was an important one in his development as a player as his success at the Division III level gave him the confidence to “test the waters of the pro tour.” Butorac has found success with multiple partners on tour, including reaching the finals of the 2014 Australian Open doubles with Raven Klaasen, and the semi finals of the Aussie with Jean-Julien Rojer in 2011, and has amassed 17 career doubles titles.
Besides Butorac’s success on tour, he has been equally successful in helping to make positive changes for the players on tour during his presidency. An accomplishment that Butorac is most proud of is the council’s helping to establish a better pension system for the players. A giant misconception that is often held among the general sports public is that all professional athletes are paid well enough to provide for their future easily. This isn’t true in many instances, and in tennis it applies even less. As Butorac notes, “Players pay all their own travel and expenses, and often have a coach or trainer that travel with them. That really adds up.” Under Butorac’s leadership, the pension benefits have increased dramatically from $10,000 contribution a year for the 165 that qualified, to now a $50,000 yearly contribution. “We increased the player pension by 500%. Players were leaving the tour in their thirties and not doing well enough in their working life that followed. With this increase, I feel better about the situation for a player who will have given so much of his working life to our great sport.”
Another lasting improvement that Butorac is proud of was the council’s renegotiation of the Grand Slam tournaments’ contracts in regards to the prize money awarded to the players. “They were making more money than ever, but we weren’t seeing enough of it on the playing side. We were able to get them engaged in a negotiation process and feel like the current and next generation players will be much better for it.” For making the first round in the US Open in 2015, the tour player made $39,500. Just five years earlier in 2010, making the first round only brought a player a $19,000 pay check. That increase is crucial for the lower level players trying to establish themselves on tour, and can essentially pay for a coach for the year, or a trainer, etc. Butorac hopes that the ATP, along with the Player Council, will continue to look at pay in the future “and keep driving money down to the lower levels of the tour” to help improve the “long term sustainability for more players to make a living on tour.”
As Butorac approaches the end of his term, he is uncertain about what the future holds for him in regards to both the Player Council and the tour life in general. Butorac’s term as president will conclude at Wimbledon this year and he finds himself at a reflective point in his career. “I don’t know yet if I’ll serve again or not. I have my second child on the way this summer, so I think I may move off the court into a new role sometime in the near future. I don’t know what that is just yet, but I do hope that it keeps me in tennis.” Butorac’s experiences as a touring pro have opened several doors for him. His blog is insightful and honest about his experiences with tennis, family, and tour. He has also been a ontributor for Sports Illustrated tennis, writing features about his experience practicing with Novak Djokovic, to name just one. “It (the blog) has been a great project for my last year on tour. There are so many stories that I wanted to share and Universal Tennis has helped give me a platform to do that. If my unique path through juniors and D3 tennis can help inspire a couple more kids to give it a shot, then it will all be worth it.”
Regardless of what Butorac chooses to do after his professional career is over, he has left a lasting legacy through his efforts as Player Council president. Players throughout future generations will continue to benefit in numerous ways from the decisions and agendas his leadership helped to push through, and by doing such he has established a high level of leadership and performance that will be expected from future council presidents.
