USTA's Kantarian Leading Candidate To Replace Retiring Exec Dir

Kantarian Could Become Next USTA Exec Dir

USTA Exec Dir & COO LEE HAMILTON is retiring and USTA Chief Exec of Professional Tennis ARLEN KANTARIAN is “principal among the candidates” to replace him, according to Daniel Kaplan of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL.  Sources said that if Kantarian were to get the position, he “likely would sweep it under his current position … and oversee both the pro and recreational sides” of the USTA.  USTA Community Tennis CEO KURT KAMPERMAN is also a finalist for the job, along with USTA BOD members Head USA CEO DAVE HAGGERTY and attorney GORDON SMITH.  Kaplan notes even though Kantarian “is believed to earn with incentives” $3-4M annually while Hamilton earned $809,309 in ’05, Hamilton is Kantarian’s boss and assuming the Exec Dir title would “give Kantarian even greater power within American tennis and leave above him only” the BOD (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/13 issue).