Tennis coach Rick Macci says he is going to write a tell-all book about his days coaching the Williams sisters before they hit the big time. Macci said he spent more than $1 million in the early 1990s housing and training the sisters but was dumped by the girls’ father, Richard, who paid him $250,000 in 1997.
Macci said he had a signed agreement that entitled him to a cut of earnings through 2000, which would have been worth millions of dollars, but that he gave it away for the lump settlement.
Macci now coaches Shikha Uberoi, a promising young American of Indian descent who was recently signed by SFX Sports and who coincidentally lost to Venus Williams in the second round of the U.S. Open. Standing in the players’ lounge at the Open, Macci said he is not supposed to talk about the Williams sisters because of a confidentiality agreement he signed. But he said enough time has passed and nonchalantly boasted that he does not care if he is sued.
Calls to the sisters’ family attorney, Keven Davis, were not returned. Macci also has trained Jennifer Capriati and will write about his role in her early development, as well.
Macci, who has a tennis academy in Pompano Beach, Fla., and is developing a line of instructional tennis DVDs, does not have a publisher yet. Several months ago he hired marketing and event company Insight Agency of New York, which is negotiating with several publishers for the untitled book.
MILES CONFIRMS PLANS: Mark Miles, the ATP chief executive, publicly unveiled his long-rumored plans to step down at the end of 2005. He will lead a replacement search that the tour hopes will end by mid-2005. Miles cited the 15 years he has spent running the ATP, and the need to be near his family.
Within the sport, there have been some who opposed Miles for his handling of player demands for more money from the Grand Slams as well as for convincing tournaments to give up sponsorships when Swiss marketing company ISL promised $1.2 billion in 2000. ISL went bankrupt within two years.
Miles said he expected a long line of applicants for the job, but said he did not think his former No. 2 and current WTA CEO Larry Scott would be in it. His remaining months would be to fill the CEO slot and to renew Mercedes-Benz’s global sponsorship of the men’s tour.
REGIONAL SPONSOR PATCH NIXED: Speaking of the WTA, one of its big pushes has been regional sponsorships. For example, Porsche sponsors the North American swing, with players wearing patches at WTA events bearing the Porsche logo. But at the U.S. Open, a sign outside the WTA Tour office in the players’ lounge instructed players to rip their Porsche patches off their clothing.
Unless the sponsor is a tour umbrella sponsor, explained Georgina Clark, the WTA’s vice president of European operations, a Grand Slam will not allow it.
HAAS SPORTS ASICS: At the Open, Tommy Haas, who for years had been with Nike before the company dumped the often-injured German player, was wearing Asics, a company whose sneakers and apparel are not common in tennis. Haas, who at press time had made the quarterfinals, has not signed a deal yet, said his agent, Tony Godsick of IMG. A deal was expected soon.
Another Nike castoff, Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish, is expected to sign with Adidas.
COOGI MAKES OPEN SPLASH: Australian apparel maker Coogi, which was bailed out of financial distress last year by two founders of Fubu, also is making a push into tennis. SFX client Vince Spadea and the Dane Kristian Pless were outfitted in shirts from Coogi when they played at the Open.
The company wants to create a resort line and is using small endorsement deals with tennis and golf players to do it, said Nabile Taslimant, Coogi’s global brand manager.
The company’s sweaters became famous in the 1980s when Bill Cosby wore them in his eponymous show. This is the company’s first push into sports.
The deals with Spadea and Pless, which are through 2006, are only for apparel. Next year the company may come out with a sneaker line.
RODDICK UP FOR SALE: With Andy Roddick’s apparel and sneaker deal up with Reebok next spring, rumors are already flying about who will be the front-runner to sign the big star of American tennis, an SFX client. Word was the bidding could start at $10 million a year, and Adidas was very interested.
Most assume Nike will make a big push for him to replace its big American star, Andre Agassi, who is expected to retire sometime in the next few years.
With the scathing reviews Roddick’s colorful Reebok shorts and cap received, he may want to ensure a more traditional look, regardless of the company.
Daniel Kaplan may be reached at dkaplan@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
