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The Grand Slam Board announced that its Director, Bill Babcock, will retire at the end of 2020. Babcock has worked in this pivotal role for the Grand Slam Board since its inception as the Grand Slam Committee in 1989, based in London.

The Grand Slam Board, comprised of the Chairs of the Grand Slam tournaments, the Grand Slam Chief Executives and the President of the International Tennis Federation, serves as the representative body of the four Grand Slams, responsible for the coordination and management of activities of mutual interest to the four Grand Slam tournaments as the premier events in the sport. Babcock’s successor will be named in due course following a professional search process.

Babcock has contributed for over 35 years as one of the sport’s leading administrators. After several years playing on the Circuit after college and then practicing law in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Babcock started his administrative/legal career in tennis working for the then Men’s Tennis Council in New York under the direction of Marshall Happer. Babcock was recruited in the late 1980s by then ITF President Philippe Chatrier and Vice President Brian Tobin to develop and implement the mission of the new Grand Slam Committee (GSC). This first included the creation of a Grand Slam Rulebook, an independent Officiating department, a Grand Slam Media Services team and, notably, the establishment in 1990 of the Grand Slam Cup, which successfully ran through 1999. The Grand Slam Cup also allowed the Grand Slam tournaments to make significant financial contributions to the development of tennis through its Grand Slam Development Fund (GSDF), created in 1996 and administered by the ITF. More than US$55 million has been contributed and distributed so far through the GSDF and the long list of players who have received assistance includes Gustavo Kuerten, Jelena Ostapenko, Juan Martin del Potro, Simona Halep, Grigor Dimitrov, Leander Paes and Victoria Azarenka.

Ahead of the year 2000, Babcock, on behalf of the GSC, began negotiations with ATP to merge the Grand Slam Cup with the ATP Tour Finals to secure one definitive co-owned year end championship in men’s tennis – the Tennis Masters Cup. Although no longer directly involved in a year-end championship, the Grand Slam tournaments continue to make significant contributions annually to the GSDF to support tennis development.

Babcock was instrumental in the establishment and implementation of the sport-wide Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) and its Tennis Integrity Unit as one of the original Professional Tennis Integrity Officers. He has also been involved in numerous other initiatives and programmes on behalf of the ITF and the Grand Slams, whilst working together with the sport’s governing bodies to maintain professional and respectful relationships.

“Working with the Grand Slam tournaments and the ITF over the past 30 years has been a privilege and an honour,” said Babcock. “I recognise the enormous contributions to tennis that have been made and continue to be made by the Grand Slam tournaments, the ITF and the rest of the Tennis Family. The opportunity to have shared a part of that effort is humbling. Much of the success that I have had is due to the wisdom, friendship and support of the innumerable Grand Slam Chairs, Grand Slam Executives and ITF Presidents over the years, as well as my countless friends and colleagues in the Tennis Family. Thank you all for this wonderful ride.”

The Grand Slam Board Chairs said, “For over three decades, Bill has worked tirelessly to preserve values, integrity and consistency at the highest levels of the game and has been unwavering in his promotion of respect for the rules across the four Grand Slam tournaments and with the ITF. Bill has witnessed at first hand the continued rise of all four events, tennis as a whole and the careers of many who have made our sport great. We wish Bill all the best and look forward to seeing him court side, watching the game that he is so passionate about and has spent his entire career serving.”