The ATP BOD has picked Chris Kermode "as the tour’s next leader," according to sources cited by Daniel Kaplan in next week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Kermode replaces the late Brad Drewett, who died in May after a battle with ALS. Though he is "not well-known outside of British tennis circles," Kermode was selected over ATP Chief Legal Officer and ATP Americas CEO Mark Young and BNP Paribas Open Tournament Dir Steve Simon. Kermode currently runs the Aegon Championships, a tune-up event for Wimbledon, and is the Managing Dir of the season-ending Tour Championships in London. Kermode would "not be the first ATP leader to come from a smaller tournament," as Mark Miles, the first CEO of the modern ATP, "took on his role after running the Indianapolis tennis tournament" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 11/18 issue). USA TODAY's Douglas Robson reported Kermode, the tour's first leader from Europe, is a "compromise candidate." The ATP BOD is "comprised of three player representatives and three tournament representatives." The two sides "remained divided until the final stages of the decision," with tournament reps "leaning toward" Young, while the player reps favored Kermode (USATODAY.com, 11/14).
