Two years ago, Steve Simon, the chief executive of the women’s professional tennis tour, was the toast of the sports world, a lone crusader standing up to an authoritarian government, choosing morals over money after China effectively silenced a player who had seemingly accused a former top official of sexual assault.
Simon suspended the business of the WTA Tour in China, a courageous move that had the ill effects of jeopardizing the tour’s signature annual event and putting the tour in a precarious financial position that it has been fighting its way out of ever since. On Tuesday, the WTA Tour announced that someone other than Simon would soon be overseeing the day-to-day responsibilities of running women’s tennis in what is the beginning of a once-in-a-generation restructuring of how players compete and fans follow the global sport.
The dry language of Tuesday’s corporate press release explained that once a successor is found, Simon will become the “executive chairman” of the WTA Tour, focusing on issues of governance, strategy and the continuing development of the women’s game. The president of the WTA Tour, Micky Lawler, is leaving the organization “to pursue other opportunities.”
In a statement, Simon said by putting in place “additional leadership…
