McEnroe resigns from USTA post
Brother of legend John says he did not want to move to Florida
Patrick McEnroe announced his resignation on Wednesday after 6 1/ 2 years as the US Tennis Association’s general manager of player development.
In May, the USTA announced plans for a $ 60 million tennis centre in the Lake Nona area of Orlando, Florida, and McEnroe said that, for personal and professional reasons, he did not want to be based there fulltime. He is also a TV analyst.
McEnroe will stay on with the group to helpwith the transition to a successor, a process that USTA Executive Director and COO Gordon Smith said could take at least four to six months.
McEnroe’s departure, discussed at a news conference at the US Open, comes during a tournament in which zero American men reached the round of 16 for the second year in a row — something that, until 2013, had never
McEnroe’s departure comes during a tournament in which zero American men reached the round of 16 for the second year in a row.
happened at an event that began in 1881. No US man has reached the quarter- finals at any Grand Slam tournament since 2012, and none has won a major championship since Andy Roddick at Flushing Meadows in 2003.
“Obviously, the world has caught up to us,” McEnroe said.
Smith said the change was not prompted by recent results at the elite level, particularly on the men’s side. “If you look at where we are and where we have come from ... we have a great foundation. Frankly, I think we are going to see results of that,” Smith said.
“Make no mistake, we’re going to continue the course,” he said.
McEnroe is a former professional tennis player and US Davis Cup captain — and the younger brother of seven- time major champion John.
“It’s very difficult to create top- level players,” McEnroe said at the news conference. “I think I have a new- found respect for what my parents did to create two players, one who was really good and another who was pretty good.”
When he was appointed to the GM post, the USTA said its goalwas to bring together teenagers from around the country in hopes of maximising their potential. In 2012, USTA player development set up five regional training centres, raising to 24 the total number of facilities in the programme.