By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, October 21, 2024
Photo: USTA
The USTA announced a structural shakeup today.
Martin Blackman has resigned from his current position as General Manager of Player Development, effective today.
Blackman, who succeeded Patrick McEnroe as the USTA’s head of player development in April 2015, has agreed to stay on as a special adviser through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.
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“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve US tennis in this role for the past ten years, and I am grateful to the USTA for giving me this opportunity,” Blackman said in a statement. “The work our Player Development team has done, in partnership with the private sector and USTA Sections, has been a labor of love.
“I am proud that we were able to build a path that has supported the resurgence of American tennis, the credit for which goes first and foremost to our amazing players and the teams around them, whose dedication and work ethic have fueled this progress and success.” . Now there is an opportunity to align our amazing growth at the grassroots level with our success at the top of the professional game and expand the pathway to youth at all levels, and to reinforce that growth and expansion with the added emphasis of the USTA in training.
“I wish the USTA, my amazing Player Development team and all my colleagues in the private sector and Sections the best as they grow and promote the sport we all love.”
Blackman’s departure comes as the USTA decided to make “organizational changes” and creates an opening for a new leader.
The Tennis Association said this reorganization is designed to “better support players at all levels of their competitive pathway with the Player Development, Pro Circuit, Team Events, Collegiate and Junior Competition teams now combined into one department only cohesive.
“The goal is to improve internal collaboration and enable the USTA to strategically direct resources to where they are most needed for the benefit of more competitive young and professional players.”
The USTA is also creating a new, expanded position to lead the newly transformed department. The search for this leader will begin soon.
Kent Kinnear and Kathy Rinaldi will continue to lead men’s and women’s tennis, respectively, under the leadership of this new position, the USTA announced. Bob Bryan is the US Davis Cup captain and Lindsay Davenport leads the US Billie Jean King Cup team. Team USA will play for both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup championships next month in Malaga, Spain.
Along with the structural changes, the USTA’s recently announced Player Development Advisory Council—a powerful group of current and former players, parents, coaches, USTA section leaders and tournament operators—will help guide the way. of the organization forward.
“The group remains in the early stages of its work and is expected to provide recommendations on how the USTA can further increase its support for high-performance American players later this year,” the USTA announced.
