WTA Chief Executive Officer Stacey Allaster earned more than $1.4 million in 2013, likely marking the first time the circuit’s leader earned more than any other executive in tennis.
In fact, total WTA compensation rose 25 percent to $11.2 million, bringing it nearly to the same level as the ATP, despite having $30 million less in revenue, according to tax returns filed by the associations earlier this month. The filings cover 2013.
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ALLASTER
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“The way to look at it is 2013 was the year of the new media deal with Perform, which increased revenue 75 percent [in the media category],” said Matthew Cenedella, the WTA’s chief financial officer. “We also had new deals with Xerox and SAP. Half the increases are aligned directly with the calculation of bonus payments tied to the Perform deal and new sponsors.”
Allaster’s pay, up 27 percent from the previous year, included a bonus of $508,643 and an $800,000 base salary, according to the return.
Under Allaster, the WTA has signed a lucrative deal to place the season-ending championships in Singapore, brought on new sponsor and media deals, and has invested in branding and marketing initiatives.
The tour has not yet found a new lead sponsor since Sony exited after 2012.
The WTA’s total revenue, which comes from sponsorship, TV, tournament fees and the season-ending championship, rose slightly to $63.3 million, resulting in a net surplus of $2.8 million.
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SMITH
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The highest-paid U.S. Tennis Association executive was Executive Director Gordon Smith, who earned $1.3 million, which includes some deferred pay, according to the group’s 2013 tax return. The USTA reported record net income of $36 million on a 17 percent increase in overall revenue to $250 million.
Almost all of that figure comes from the U.S. Open, which is annually one of the most lucrative sporting events in the world.
The USTA also reported $62 million of revenue through its separate National Tennis Center filing, bringing the total to more than $312 million.
Patrick McEnroe, the outgoing head of the USTA’s player development program, earned $940,360. The USTA hired James & Co., an executive recruiting firm, to find a replacement for McEnroe.
McEnroe told reporters in September that he was stepping down because he did not want to move to Florida, where the USTA is building a tennis center.
At the ATP, compensation stayed flat. ATP Chief Executive Officer Brad Drewett died in 2013, and the tax return shows the ATP paid him $447,657. The highest-paid executive last year was Laurent Delanney, the CEO of ATP Europe, who earned $684,028.
The tour reported a profit, or net surplus, of $11.4 million, down from $15.9 million the year before. Revenue, which reflects money flowing into the tour and not directly to tournaments, was flat at $92 million. Expenses rose 6 percent to $80.7 million.
