Potential supporters of Paul McNamee in last year’s Tennis Australia presidency battle were allegedly told voting for him could jeopardise million dollar television rights, the ABC reports.
In the Four Corners program State of Play, Dean Williams, the president of Tennis West which represents 190 tennis clubs in Western Australia, claims he was approached by Tennis Australia board member Harold Mitchell, who is Australia’s largest media buyer.
Mitchell apparently told Williams a vote for McNamee would have serious implications.
“He said, basically, you realise you’re putting the whole project into jeopardy with regards to the Channel 7 TV rights,” Williams told Four Corners.
Mitchell had been part of the tv rights negotiations.
Other delegates were also allegedly told a vote for former doubles champion McNamee could jeopardise the multi-million-dollar Victoria government redevelopment of Melbourne Park tennis centre.
Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood said “I don’t know if that’s been said” to Williams but the television deal was completed two years previously.
McNamee lost the October election, the first contested in 20 years, to Pollard by two votes.
In the documentary, The State of Play, which aired on the ABC on Monday night, Tennis Australia were accused by past players such as Pat Cash and Liz Smylie of being too controlling.
Former Wimbledon champion Cash is against Australia’s top juniors being centralised at the Australian Institute of Sport.
“They have five or six different coaches, they don’t know what they’re doing,” Cash said.
“They’ve just absolutely messed up a bunch of really talented kids and we’ve lost an era of tennis players, unfortunately.”
Smylie said TA needed to be made more accountable for the money it spent on player development, with Australia’s tennis talent under-performing in terms of world rankings.
But Craig Tiley, TA Director of Tennis, rejected this.
“Right from the beginning we’ve been accused of being too controlling and wanting to have it only our way or the highway,” Tiley said.
“Those (allegations) are all just simply not true.”
Australia’s top men’s player Lleyton Hewitt said in the documentary there was too much emphasis on junior results, which is a reason why young players struggle to make the transition to senior tennis.
He says experienced coaches such as Tony Roche, Jason Stoltenberg and Darren Cahill should be used, as they all have been by TA in the past.
“At the moment those guys aren’t being used in Australian tennis and that hurts,” Hewitt said.
Gabe
Guest
Sorry , but I do not think their is any excuse, I have witnessed and been around grass roots tennis and tennis australia, and there is a heap of talent here, we have been swarming in it... This is about a mens club that has been tennis australia, that barely goes out side its tournaments to ID players, or they set it up on one day .... Look I could go on and on and on , and so could many who have really been around this. There problems are many but don't ever say it is a lack of talent nor that we could not have depth,,, the problem is TA are far too selective, rely way to much on junior results, are so comfortable in their jobs,,and control too much There is way to much arrogance far too little communication and the money is being spent in the wrong areas...
bever fever
Guest
I am a member of one thise tennis clubs in Perth, tennis has lots of problems, well actually Australians involved in high level world tennis have lots of problems, but the whole world plays tennis now. Our tennis club meanders along with the same volunteers it has had for 30 years and it serves as a tennis club come social club, it has plenty of talented juniors, but somehow they never seem to become adult members, i have no idea where they go, but i digress. Australian tennis at senior level will never relive the heady days of the 50s-mid 70s where the depth of Australain tennis was fantastic and we punched out of our weight ......... or did we ?. Tennis after the ww2 was predominatly IMO a English speaking sport, or a affluent persons sport, athough probably Australia was the only country where nearly everyone got to play, every country town had one or more grass courts next to the anglican and catholic church, and the cities had much more depth through their divisions and grass court play was considered a great art form, and their was no great choice of sport , unlike today. Add to this many countries, the UK in particular had great casulties in the war and had lost depth, tennis was not held in the same esteem in the UK that the middle class in OZ held it. Sorry i got lost..... I think my point is that tennis in Australia will never recover to those heights, unless by a miracle an Australian Federer comes along, we should be happy to have maybe one male and one female inside the top 10, lets face it not even the Yanks seem to be able to that ATM.
Whiteline
Guest
I agree Melon. All we've had for 30 years is 'one offs' like Cash, Rafter and Hewitt. Centralising a program doesn't work and never will, Mr Cash is on the money.....
Who Needs Melon
Guest
Peeved I missed this program but, without taking sides, SOMEthing ain't right. There is a limit to how long you can keep claiming you're doing the right thing if you're not getting the right results and I think we've crossed it. Time for some big changes.