Adam Helfant, the newly appointed ATP executive chairman and president, says he hasn't spoken to Etienne de Villiers, the embattled outgoing leader of the men's tour, or asked for his advice. Clearly, though, Helfant, 44, has heard plenty about the man who left a collection of angry players in his wake.
Helfant, a former Nike executive and attorney for the National Hockey League, came to Melbourne to meet and greet his new constituents and take stock of his new sport. Earlier in the week he sat in on his first players' meeting, which by a few accounts was more contentious than normal (and contention is indeed the norm, as one would expect in a sport where every "team" is an individual with his self-interest at heart). This morning, Helfant sat down with a group of reporters to chat about what he expects to accomplish during his tenure.
Helfant didn't offer many specifics, which wasn't surprising considering he just took the job a few weeks ago. One of De Villiers' shortcomings--that is, in the mind of the players--was that he said far too much and gave short shrift to the players' ideas and concerns. Helfant doesn't want that reputation.
"I've told [the players] that I'll listen," Helfant said. "It doesn't mean that I'm going to agree with everything they say, but I'm going to listen to them."
Asked to define his job, he did it broadly: "My mandate is pretty simple," he said. "It's to help tennis reach its potential. First we have to figure out what that is, and then move in the right direction."
He also showed a sense of humor. Asked what he thought of the various approaches the tour has taken to its marketing--it's now called the ATP World Tour, complete with renamed tournaments and a new ranking system--Helfant had a tongue-in-cheek a reply at the ready.
"I'm going to unveil yet another branding strategy," he said.
Without saying what was wrong with the men's tour, Helfant gave the impression that the sport isn't punching its weight in the marketplace. He described the current level of talent, especially at the top of the game, as of the highest quality (hard to argue with that), reminiscent of the sport in his youth, when Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and Jimmy Connors ruled the world. Considering the talent at the top right now, men's tennis can certainly do better, and it's not as if de Villiers didn't make any progress. For all the negative talk about him, he did give his players a rather nice parting gift: A large increase in prize money for 2009, in the midst of a global financial crisis. As qualified and intelligent as Helfant is, it won't be easy for him to top that if the economy continues to sour.
Helfant is native of Brooklyn and a graduate of MIT and Harvard Law School; essentially, he's a classic American high-achiever who has succeeded (in fact, excelled) at everything he's ever done (save foreign languages--"It's one of my shortcomings," he said). Will being an American prevent him from earning the players’ loyalties? So far, it hasn't. According to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal had expressed concerns about the fact that Helfant isn’t European, but after Nadal and Helfant met in December, Nadal gave his blessing. Federer, who knew Helfant from his days at Nike, has done the same.
"He's a sharp man, smart and honest," Federer said. "I think a guy who can do an excellent job for the ATP."
Helfant plans to live in London, and at much personal sacrifice. His family (he's married with two children) will remain in Connecticut and he'll visit them "from time to time, so that they don't forget me," he said.
"What I've enjoyed most in my career is traveling, experiencing different cultures and getting an appreciation for the way business is done differently outside of the United States," Helfant said.
A man who's willing to move away from his family to run a tour with more competing interests, and stubborn constituents (from players on down to tournament directors) than perhaps any other in the world? Either he's insane, or just the man for the job. We'll see.