ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi: "We have a lot of work ahead of us"
The new ATP chairman, the Italian Andrea Gaudenzi , spoke for the first time about his role in tennis. The ex-player spoke about the structure of the men's association, the health of tennis and what effects a closed withdrawal of the Big-3 would have.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jan 09, 2020, 09:52 am
The ATP board currently has six members: three representatives of the tournaments (one of them the manager of Dominic Thiem, Herwig Straka) and three representatives of the players. When voting, there are often standstills in which the chairman Gaudenzi has to make a decision.
"The structure can be an advantage in the long term if we set up the right rules - and the right people," said Gaudenzi about the often criticized organization of the ATP. “We need both the players and the tournaments to grow our sport. The consumer does not differentiate between ITF, WTA, Grand Slams and other organizations, but sees only one sport. "
Tennis is an entertaining product that only needs minor improvements. Gaudenzi wants better cooperation between ITF and ATP.
Andrea Gaudenzi: resignation of the Big 3? "Sport will create new stars"
"We may be in the best time tennis has ever seen when you look at the players and the talent," said Gaudenzi, referring to the Big-3. Gaudenzi is not afraid of the resignation of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
“Tennis is a great product. The sport will create new stars, ”he said. "Who knows, maybe there will be even bigger players in the future. When I resigned, nobody thought that Pete Sampras '14 Grand Slams' record could ever be broken. And now we even have three players fighting over the record. ”
In marketing, Gaudenzi sees a "huge opportunity" to connect more young people to the sport via digital reach. “We are in the right place, but I think the best is still ahead. We still have a lot of work to do to take advantage of these opportunities. ”
The Italian still sees great potential, especially in the area of data. "Some of the media and technology giants will get a big appetite for our content," said Gaudenzi. “We should be open to innovation. Analytics and data should play a role in understanding our consumers better, especially when it comes to digital platforms. ”
Former tennis professional Andrea Gaudenzi, once in the top 20 in the world, will be the new president of the ATP players' association from January 1, 2020. The 46-year-old Italian, who holds two university degrees in law and economics, had made a name for himself in the music business after the end of his career as an entrepreneur. He succeeds the Englishman Chris Kermode.