LTA chief Michael Downey is resigning from his position and will return to being the CEO of Tennis Canada, both organizations have announced.
Downey said he was returning for personal reasons, requiring a move back to the country. He is stepping back into the recently-vacated position at Tennis Canada, which he held before moving to Britain for the LTA position in 2014. " I've been honored to have led the LTA over the last three years, as we've sought to drive grass-roots tennis," he said in a statement, and will stay on for an extended notice period.
The LTA is often perceived as under-performing in player development and has seen frequent changes in leadership. Andy Murray, who has been among his critics, is not pleased. "It's disappointing," said Murray. "Because it's another change for British tennis. Someone new will come in with a different direction for three to four years and then it will change again.
"I think for a system that maybe everyone would say has not really worked for quite a long time, you need someone or a team in here for the long haul. "
British tennis saw significant improvement at the professional level while Downey was in charge, with Andy and Jamie Murray reaching No. 1 in singles and doubles, Britain winning the Davis Cup and pros like Johanna Konta, Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans also getting top 100 rankings. But he had problems with finding a performance director, and the LTA was criticized for some of its player development changes and a lack of grassroots initiatives, though these have been increased.
Before that, he led Canadian tennis to a period of unprecedented success with players like Milos Raonic, Eugenie Bouchard and Vasek Pospisil becoming high-ranked professionals.