Does tennis need a supreme ruler?

John McEnroe makes the case for a tennis commissioner

You cannot be serious!

The most stubborn man in tennis is trying to be the sport’s top dog and oversee issues like doping controversies and transparency. In a January 2025 interview, McEnroe stated he was “ready, willing and able” to take on the position and has long advocated for the creation of the role. He even self appointed himself as the commissioner back in a 2018 Eurosport video.

The conversation was brought up again after Jannik Sinner's and Iga Swiatek’s recent doping allegations. Currently, the ITIA runs tennis's anti-doping program and gave the world No. 1 and No. 2 suspensions from ATP and WTA events. McEnroe stated both Sinner and Swiatek’s cases involved "inadvertent breaches of the rules."

Sinner's positive test at March's Indian Wells tournament wasn’t made public until just before the U.S. Open began in August. McEnroe hopes a commissioner would bring transparency and regulation to positive doping tests and defend players.

Even though his wishful thinking may spark an interesting debate, uniting the sport’s deeply fragmented structure may be next to impossible.

Why is appointing a tennis commissioner extremely difficult?

You can’t think of tennis the same way you think about the NFL, NHL, MLB, or NBA, where the entire sport falls under one umbrella with the same championships or rules. Think of traditional sports leagues as a single country or entity and the sport of tennis is more like the EU, where you have combined entities with their own rules and regulations.

Currently, there’s many governing bodies like:

• ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) – governs the men’s tour

• WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) – governs the women’s tour

• ITF (International Tennis Federation) – governs the rules of tennis, Davis Cup, and Grand Slams

• Four Grand Slam tournaments – each is independently run (Wimbledon, US Open, French Open, Australian Open)

As of now, these organizations don’t work together, but compete for scheduling time, money, influence, and player loyalty.

Grand Slams like the U.S. Open or Wimbledon make the most money and are the most popular tournaments, yet they don’t report to the ATP or WTA. Both organizations are completely player driven and have endless sponsors and media deals that would be incredibly hard to unify.

Hypothetically, a tennis commissioner would need buy-in from these key organizations, players, and media entities to bring reform.

What would a commissioner do?

Ideally, a tennis commissioner could easily resolve issues like Sinner’s suspension conflict or complaints about several players experiences burnout due to the heavy touring schedule they must adhere to to stay competitive in the ATP/WTA rankings.

I imagine the commissioner would also have responsibilities like:

• Oversee global tennis calendar (e.g., fewer conflicts, better flow)

• Serve as neutral voice in tour disputes

• Implement unified player welfare standards (e.g., medical, rest)

• Direct fan growth initiatives, like joint ATP/WTA events and digital strategy

• Lead crisis response (e.g., pandemic policy, global political issues)

• Pay equality for women and men

The commissioner would also be the face of the sport and help grow the tennis globally. Streaming a tennis match is also challenging for fans and McEnroe hinted he’d launch a centralized streaming platform (similar to NBA League Pass), allow microphone coaching, and modernize social coverage to appeal to younger fans.

If not John McEnroe, who could be tennis commissioner?

McEnroe is an old guy with rizz and is a major icon in the sport of tennis—not just as a player, but a post-playing broadcaster and media personality. However, there are many other big personalities that could find their way into a theoretical commissioner position.

• Martina Navratilova - Navratilova was one of the most dominant players in tennis history and has been a vocal advocate for equal prize money, gay rights, and fair treatment of female athletes. However, she has made transphobic remarks in the past and was met with controversy.

• Billie Jean King - King is an influential activist that has strengths like diplomacy and historical gravitas. She co-founded the WTA in 1973 and has stuck around and maintained influence in tennis throughout her life.

• Andy Roddick - Roddick has been active in exhibition matches alongside Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. Since retiring from tennis, he has ventured into business and philanthropy and is host of a tennis podcast.

• Patrick Mouratoglou - As Naomi Osaka’s current coach, Mouratoglou has been a prominent figure in tennis coaching, development, and innovation. He currently is one of the biggest tennis influencers in the world with 1.7 million followers on Instagram.

• Serena Williams - Williams transformed tennis and is familiar with the sport’s flaws. She is respected by players and could potentially be a great voice for current professionals.

• Andrea Guadenzi - He currently serves as both Chairman and interim Chief Executive Officer of the ATP. Under Gaudenzi’s leadership, the ATP implemented reform and modernized the sport like launching the “Baseline” program to provide financial security for lower-ranked players.

• Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf - Although probably busy trying to grow pickleball, the tennis power couple could co-lead as commissioners and would make a compelling pairing.

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