Rumours are emerging that Chris Kermode, the current executive chairman and president of the ATP, is to be relieved of his duties by the players he represents. The Briton had a brief playing career himself, but earned just $447 and quickly moved into the off-court side of the sport. Beginning as a tennis coach in London, he later served as the tournament director at Queen’s Club, before taking on the same role at the ATP Finals when the tournament moved to the O2 Arena in London in 2008.
He was then appointed to the role he now occupies in 2013 and was initially a success in the role. The prize money at the sport’s biggest tournaments was increased as its popularity grew on the back of a number of stars, most significantly Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. However, in recent times the relationship between Kermode and the ATP’s players has soured, largely due to issues with the share of the ATP’s profits the players were receiving. It was an issue compounded by the ATP’s non-profit status.
Kermode’s position has not been helped by a behind the scenes struggle between the ATP and the ITF, which led to ATP points no longer being awarded for some of the ITF’s lower tier events. That caused chaos in the rankings systems as players plummeted down the ATP’s rankings whilst the ITF’s entered a state of flux. The disruption caused to many lower-ranked players livelihoods as a result of the implemented changes has been viewed in some quarters as partly the fault of Kermode.
Kermode has come under fire from a number of well-known names, including Novak Djokovic, the current World #1 and chairman of the ATP’s player council. Another member of the council, Vasek Pospisil, a former Wimbledon champion in doubles and top 50 player in singles, sent out a letter to his colleagues on the tour ranked between 50th and 100th, which was highly critical of Kermode and his failure to adequately fight for their interests. That pressure that has been building up looks like it will finally prove too much for Kermode, with enough votes now believed to be available to vote him out of office.
We will find out more at the meeting on Thursday.
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