Krajicek Pulls Out of Race for New CEO of ATP World Tour

Written by: Staff on 15th December 2011

Krajicek Pulls Out of Race for New CEO of ATP World Tour |

Former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek has decided to remove his name from the list of candidates to succeed Adam Helfant as the new Chief Executive Officer and President of the ATP World Tour.

The 40 year-old Dutchman told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf there was too much dissention and lack of unity from the six man ATP World Tour Board of Directors for him to continue being a candidate for the job which will formally become vacant on December 31.

It is widely believed there is a major split on the board over Krajicek’s business and acumen and experience. Players representatives such as Justin Gimelstob, David Egdes and Giorgio de Palmermo are understood to think he will be manipulated by experienced tournament owners such as Ion Tiriac.

“Of course it is disappointing that I had to take this decision,” said Krajicek who is tournament director of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. “I would have been very happy to become the new CEO of the ATP World Tour.”

Now the ATP board must decide whether to appoint from within with the two existing candidates, Brad Drewett or Mark Young, or go back to square one and appoint international headhunters. Krajicek is the third man to distance himself from the job after French Federation de Tennis chief executive Gilbert Ysern and All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie who yesterday agreed to move to England’s Rugby Football Union.

Sydney-based Drewett, 53, a former top 40 singles and top 20 doubles player, is head of the ATP World Tour’s International Group and is also Tournament Director of the hugely successful Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Young currently holds the post of CEO, Americas and is the ATP World Tour’s long serving General Counsel who has dealt with all the major legal issues in the last two decades. He is based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Topics: Richard Krajicek