The United States Tennis Association has hired two high-profile attorneys to conduct a review of its handling of sexual abuse and harassment allegations, the association’s chief executive announced Thursday.
The announcement from Lew Sherr, who has led the national governing body for U.S. tennis since 2022, comes amid mounting scrutiny over the organization’s approach to complaints of sexual abuse and harassment at the highest levels of the organization and also in its regional sections, where thousands of players participate in USTA events, competitions and training camps every year. Mary Beth Hogan and David O’Neil of Debevoise & Plimpton, who have decades of experience with criminal and corporate investigations, will lead the review. O’Neil previously led the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The USTA is involved in a tense legal battle over its handling of accusations of sexual assault made by a female player who worked with a male coach at the USTA’s marquee training center in Florida, with depositions that include detailed questions about the woman’s sexual history. Kylie McKenzie, a 24-year-old from Arizona who was once one of the most promising junior players in the country, sued the USTA in 2023, claiming the organization had failed to…
