Stacey Allaster sat in her official seat as CEO of the United States Tennis Association at Arthur Ashe Stadium last September during the US Open women’s final and felt like her own career was playing out in front of her.
The match featured Serena Williams, the 23-time senior champion Allaster had worked closely with over the years in her previous role as WTA president and CEO, and Bianca Andreescu, the incoming teenager who represented everything Tennis. Canada, the organization Allaster had spent nearly 15 years with early in his career, had ever wanted.
She said she was hard-fought and ultimately neutral about who she wanted to win in the battle of her past. But when Andreescu finally hoisted the trophy over her head as the new champion, becoming the first Canadian to win a single Grand Slam title, she couldn’t help but feel it was a dream come true.
“It was so surreal,” Allaster said recently. “When I was at Tennis Canada, we were hoping that one day a player would win a Grand Slam, so it was amazing that it would happen at the Grand Slam I was involved in. It was great to be there and try all of that., And you see Bianca take over that. moment and rise to the noise and energy level of 24,000 fans “.
Less than a year after Andreescu’s major triumph, Allaster made history on her own when she was announced in June as tournament director of the US Open, becoming the first woman to do so in the event’s 140-year existence. Days after accepting the job, Allaster was formally presented with her new title on her way to court in Ashe for a press conference, and she says it was the first moment she realized the true weight of her barrier-free date.
“It felt like a ‘This is true’ moment,” he said. “Before that, you’re a little bit into the finish mode, so hearing it out loud made it clear. I previously had the privilege of running the organization founded by Billie Jean King, the WTA, and was walking there on the pitch. , and I put my hand on “Pressure is a privilege,” the quote from Billie who is right there at the entrance.
“It’s a privilege for me to have this opportunity because so many other women, Billie, and the” Original 9 “, Chrissie [Evert], Martina [Navratilova] and so many others have paved the way for a woman to have this leadership position. It is symbolic, but even more important, to show all other leaders, especially young leaders, that they too can achieve their leadership goals in our sport. I haven’t been able to think about it fully, but it’s a very important moment. “
Of course, in recent months Allaster hasn’t had much time to think about anything unrelated to the global coronavirus pandemic and how the US Open can be played despite that. His introductory press conference was also to discuss the organization’s plans to hold the event and the protocols they had already established.
Like most sports around the world, professional tennis was closed indefinitely in March before the BNP Paribas Open. The French Open, originally scheduled to start playing in late May, has been moved to late September. Wimbledon was canceled. With New York considered the epicenter of the virus in the United States in the early months, the state of the tournament was constantly changing and at times it seemed nearly impossible to stage it.
But Allaster, who called the decision-making process a “journey,” said she felt confident in their current plan. With many of the events in the US Open hardcourt series leading to the cancellation of the major, the Western & Southern Open, traditionally played in Cincinnati, opens this weekend at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. Players will be able to stay in a “bubble” and stay in the same official hotel (or private accommodation) for both events. Players will be limited to a support team of three, and all on-site will be tested regularly throughout the duration and quarantined if they test positive for the virus. There will be no fans admitted to either tournament and the qualifiers, juniors and mixed doubles have been canceled.
The response from players to the plan has been mixed. Six-time Queens winner Williams recorded a video message for the press conference announcing her intention to play in the tournament, and Novak Djokovic, the best male player and 17-time senior champion, is already on the scene. However, many other big names will not be in attendance. Neither Andreescu nor Rafael Nadal, the two reigning champions, will play, and after the latest retirement from world number 2 Simona Halep, only four of the top 10 women will be in the draw.
Allaster is the first to say the event will be canceled if it ever feels dangerous to players or staff, but as the start date draws closer, it seems less likely to be.
“If at any point we don’t feel that level of confidence we have today, then we’ll make a very easy call and work with local public health authorities along this journey,” he said. “We believe it is worth trying and in the best interest of tennis and the industry in general to do so, but the health, well-being and safety of every person involved in the US Open will always be at the forefront of our decision.”
Allaster admits it wasn’t exactly the easiest time to take on the role, but he enjoys a challenge and is doing his best to tackle the event in the most selective waters. And, she says, her previous roles uniquely prepared her for this specific moment in time.
“With 15 years with Tennis Canada and 10 years at the WTA, which has 55 events in 33 countries, I am an expert in crisis management,” she said. “Because in the experience of the live event, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you know something is about to happen. I dealt with everything: being in a country where there was terrorism, significant earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, nuclear reactor cracking in Tokyo and radioactivity crossing the Pacific, food contamination, Northeast Coast blackout, SAR in 2003.
“I used to go to all these industry conferences representing the WTA, and there were all the commissioners and leaders of various sports, and almost always there was the question, ‘What keeps you up at night?’ People always say “revenue growth” or “social media”, but for me, the thing that honestly kept me up at night was the geopolitical issues because they are real. There is no doubt that this is definitely the hardest, and no one has. experienced something like this at this level, but we have a strong team and we have considered every option and scenario. “
Allaster knows the event will be noticeably different for everyone this year, including fans, who will now have to watch from home instead of filling the stadiums and outdoor fields throughout the fortnight. He understands their disappointment perhaps better than most: he sees the event as the venue for one of his most special and memorable dates with his then-boyfriend John Milkovich. The two flew down from Toronto, where they both lived, for “Super Saturday” in 1992, and sat for 15 hours at Louis Armstrong’s sultry stalls, drinking Heinekens and meeting other diehards of the sport.
“[The tournament] it has a very personal place in my heart, because I finally married John, and I don’t know if that particular moment sealed the deal, but it was such a great day and a perfect date, “she said.” And thanks. God, he loves tennis because he’s been my mixed doubles partner ever since. To be successful in my career, if I didn’t have the support of John or that of my family and mine [two teenage kids]none of this would have been possible. “
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