st. PETERSBURG, Fla. — WTA Tour Chairman Steve Simon has notified the board of directors of the organization that is set to retire in December, the women’s tennis circuit announced Thursday.
Simon served as tournament director for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California before being hired as WTA CEO in 2015.
Under his surveillance, the women’s circuit has pledged to increase player compensation of $400 million over the next decade, creating a foundation for increasing social impact in communities around the world, and participating in partnerships with CVC Capital Partners to accelerate commercial growth and drive reinvestment of sports.
Last year, the WTA restructured its leadership, with NBA G League executive Portia Archer taking over as CEO, with Simon as chairman, focusing on strategic development and governance.
Simon was the target of criticism. Last year, he and the Tour were sued by Ukrainian tennis player Lescia Tslenko for the way they treated Russian and Belarusian players during the war in Ukraine.
In 2023, Hall of Fame Chris Ebert and Martina Navratilova questioned how they could sign off to a lucrative three-year contract with Saudi Arabia to host the WTA Final despite questions about LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.
Simon also led the Chinese WTA boycott from 2021-23 over concerns about the well-being of Grand Slam Doubles champion Penshuai. Peng dropped out of public opinion after accusing Chinese government officials of sexual assault. China was allowed to hold the tournament again after receiving assurances that the WTA would be safe from people close to Penn and that he would live with his family in Beijing.
