News

Creates Single Department That Combines Player Development, Pro Circuit, Team Events, Collegiate and Junior Competition Teams to Optimize Resources and Support for Elite Athletes; Current General Manager of Player Development Martin Blackman to Step Down

ORLANDO, Fla., October 21, 2024 – The USTA today announced that it is reorganizing to better support players at all levels of their competitive pathway with Player Development, Pro Circuit, Team Events, Collegiate and Junior Competition teams now combined into a single cohesive department. The intent is to improve internal collaboration and enable the USTA to strategically direct resources where they are needed most for the benefit of the most competitive junior and professional players.

With these organizational changes, Martin Blackman has decided to leave the organization. While stepping down from his current position as General Manager of Player Development today, Blackman has agreed to stay on as a Special Advisor through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve American tennis in this role for the last ten years and I am grateful to the USTA for giving me that opportunity. The work that our Player Development team has done, in partnership with the private sector and the USTA Sections, has been a labor of love,” said Blackman. “I am proud that we were able to build a pathway that has supported the resurgence of American tennis, the credit for which goes first and foremost to our amazing players, and the teams surrounding them, whose commitment and work ethic have driven this progression and success. The opportunity now exists to align our amazing growth at the grassroots level with our success at the top of the professional game and expand the pathway for juniors of all levels, and to amplify that growth and expansion with the USTA’s increased emphasis on coaching. I wish the USTA, my amazing Player Development team and all of my colleagues in the private sector and Sections the best as they grow and promote the sport that we all love.”

Over the past two decades, Blackman has had two separate stints at the organization — including the past ten years as the head of USTA Player Development. In this role, he played a key part in revitalizing U.S. tennis, bringing it to a level of prominence not seen in decades, as evidenced by the historic performance of American players at the 2024 US Open.

“On behalf of the entire USTA family, I want to thank Martin for his many years of dedication to American players. We appreciate the contributions he has made to further the success of our athletes during his tenure, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” said Lew Sherr, USTA Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. “Thanks to years of effort and dedication from Martin and so many others, a new era of American tennis is clearly upon us. Our challenge now is to build on that achievement. The USTA will continue to support elite athletes on their journey, while working to find new and better ways to provide the resources players need for ongoing and future success.”

The USTA is also creating a new, more expansive position to lead the newly transformed department. A search for this leader will begin soon. Kent Kinnear and Kathy Rinaldi will continue to lead men’s and women’s tennis, respectively, under the leadership of this new position.

Along with these important organizational changes, the USTA’s recently announced Player Development Advisory Council — a powerhouse group of current and former players, parents, coaches, USTA Section leaders, and tournament operators — will help guide the organization’s path forward. The group remains in the early stages of its work and is expected to provide recommendations for how the USTA can further enhance its support for high-performance American players later this year.