Political power games inside Tennis Australia’s boardroom

The Sports Commission will monitor the political fight within Tennis Australia that led to the resignation of three directors.

Tennis Australia president Steve Healy.

The Australian Sports Commission will closely monitor the internal political fight within Tennis Australia that led to the abrupt resignation of three directors on the eve of the Australian Open, the country’s biggest international sporting event.

Former Tour players Kerryn Pratt and Janet Young, along with Tasmanian businessman Peter Armstrong, resigned last Friday “with immediate effect”.

It came just three days before TA’s signature event and one of the premier four tournaments on the global stage, with prizemoney worth $40 million.

The internal squabbling comes despite the sport appearing to boom in Australia with high participation rates, an annual $300m business, and the rejuvenation of men’s tennis with the emergence of Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

The departures followed another two directors, Harold Mitchell and Scott Tanner, who walked out the door in October.

However, Mitchell returned to the TA board last month. A subtle change in the balance of power among the nine-person board led by Stephen Healy is believed to have led to the fallout.

Tennis sources told The Australian there was a growing push among a section of the board to replace vice-president Chris Freeman and then ultimately make a move on the president. The Australian attempted to contact current and former TA directors yesterday.

The ASC keeps a careful watch on governance of national sporting bodies and will view the current board dispute gravely.

The upheaval became public in a week the international sport of tennis is under the microscope over allegations of fixed matches and players dropping sets for fin­ancial gain under pressure from corrupt bookmakers and crime syndicates.

Healy ruled out any links to the controversy in a short statement released yesterday, which are the only public comments from any of the executive.

“I also must state unequivocally that this is completely unrelated to current media reports on corruption in tennis,” he said.

“This has nothing to do with that issue.”

Healy was not forthcoming on the reasons for Pratt, Young and Armstrong leaving.

The consequence is that TA now must find four directors by its next meeting in March. One director can be recommended by the board, while the other three will be supplied by member states.

The Australian understands tension at board level has been brewing for three months. It has some of its roots in director Wally Masur leaving to become interim Davis Cup captain in place of Pat Rafter, who assumed a new role heading up performance last January.

It was announced at the time that Lleyton Hewitt would assume the Davis Cup captaincy on his retirement.

Although there were other agendas behind the shake-up on the board, the decision to elevate Hewitt to one of the most prestigious roles in Australian sport without broad consultation angered some.

Following the Davis Cup quarter-final in Darwin last July, TA announced it was revisiting the captaincy decision, with the position declared open. Hewitt was forced to present his case and vision for the Davis Cup squad to the board later in the year.

Masur did well to take the team to the semi-finals of the Davis Cup for the first time since 2006 despite the controversies surrounding Kyrgios and Tomic.

The 52-year-old stepped down from the TA Board, which was evaluating the Davis Cup captaincy decision among other agenda items, in August. Former Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle was not quizzed about the board issues in a radio appearance yesterday but made it clear Masur had been a valuable asset to tennis in Australia in the roles he served.

“I thought he did a very good job himself. I thought he did a great job getting the best out of the players,” he told Melbourne radio, RSN Breakfast. “I am a little bit disappointed that he hasn’t had the opportunity to stay on as the Davis Cup captain because I know that he saw that as a real privilege, something that was a real honour to be in that position.

“I think he would have been good, but you have Lleyton Hewitt who is so passionate and so desperate to take on that role, who will do a good job, I believe, it is how the cards fell but unfortunately for Wally Masur, he is out.”

Additional reporting: Courtney Walsh