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After two-and-a-half years living here, Melissa Pine says Singapore feels like home. It’s not an unexpected declaration from a woman who grew up in perennially wintry Newfoundland, Canada – and it’s no surprise that she lists the weather as one of the top things that that she loves here. “People sometimes tell me I’m crazy – but it can never be too hot for me!” she says.

Jokes aside, the reason Melissa relocated in 2014 was to head up the WTA Finals – the premier global women’s tennis event, where the top eight singles players and doubles teams compete for the annual season-ending championship title. This is the third year of Singapore’s five-year stint of hosting these elite women’s tennis players from around the world. Last year, the WTA Finals attracted an impressive 130,000 fans.

Melissa’s leadership role is one she revels in. “No two days are the same, and that’s what I love about my job; it’s never monotonous. There is always a new challenge – running any live event is unpredictable – and we aim to raise the bar every year,” she says. Melissa says tennis in Asia is on a steep trajectory. While North America and Europe are mature markets, Asia is growing tremendously and is fertile ground for tennis.

“Aside from attracting the big names to Singapore, the WTA Finals is an opportunity to showcase former greats and Asian legends – those players who have already achieved success on the tour and are well known here,” she says. “They have the ability to inspire, and I’m keen to help tap into that in order to motivate the next generation of tennis players in Singapore.”

As part of the WTA Future Stars tournament (run concurrently with the WTA Finals), she explains, the top female players in the U14 and U16 tournament from 18 Asia-pacific countries are invited to compete here. “I hope the exposure to a tournament of this scale has a positive impact on these kids. This junior development platform goes beyond the WTA Finals; it’s a chance to do something much bigger at the grassroots level and that’s really rewarding.”

Melissa has been playing tennis for most of her life. She learnt in the concrete basement of a keen sporting family friend, which provided protection from Newfoundland’s unfavourable climate. “The wall was my best opponent, as the ball always came back. Once we were good enough and had learned all the strokes, we progressed to a school gym with a net; from there, I went on to become one of Canada’s top junior players,” she says.

Melissa went to college in the US on a tennis scholarship, and after undergraduate studies she played internationallevel events before resuming her studies at a business school. She has worked at WTA for eight years and was based in London prior to Singapore; before that, she was in Florida. These days, she continues to play tennis in local leagues for the Singapore Cricket Club team.

“Tennis has provided me with so many opportunities in life that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I’m very grateful for that. I’m passionate about the benefits of tennis and about giving back; believing that what we’re doing in Asia-pacific can help young girls and boys achieve their goals through tennis is really what gets me up every day,” she says.

What about Melissa’s inspiration? Who is her role model? She is quick to answer: trailblazer Billie Jean King, founder of the WTA, former world number one and winner of 39 Grand Slam titles. “She is somebody who stood up for what she believed in and what she thought was right. Over 40 years ago, she rallied eight other women together to ask why it was that women playing the same sport as men were, and in front of the same crowds, were not making any money.”

Melissa explains that King was steadfast in her quest to see women receive the same prize money as men on the tour. “Without her energy, we wouldn’t have the women’s professional tour, and I wouldn’t be here today, so I do feel indebted. As she famously said, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’”

“Tennis has provided me with so many opportunities in life that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I’m very grateful for that”