JP MORGAN AND THE USTA By Javier Palenque

A few days ago, the chairman of JP Morgan wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post. He wrote a few key points that the new administration needs to address. All I did was summarize his editorial and use Tennis to make a similar point.

In these challenging times, the need for strong leadership in American tennis has never been more critical. Our sport stands at a pivotal moment, facing complex domestic and global issues that demand a leader who unites us and strengthens the role our country plays in the tennis world.

We have faced tough moments in the past, where leaders such as Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, and Andre Agassi guided us forward with common sense and pragmatism. Our best leaders strengthen the bonds that unite us. They address broader national interests without pandering to extremes. There are lessons from these leaders that our current USTA leadership should embrace. Unity requires specific actions — actions I hope our next USTA CEO will adopt.

1. ACKNOWLEDGE OUR PROBLEMS: We deserve a leader who explains our problems, encourages input from all sides, and shares plans and solutions. The USTA must recognize the systemic issues plaguing American tennis, including the 'pay-to-play' model, lack of diversity, and declining grassroots participation. To clarify for those who need help understanding, if the leadership does not acknowledge the problem (tennis dying) it is impossible to find solutions. The two-week pop-up show is no measure of the state of tennis in the country and can not be used as such to create a false narrative that if a stadium is full, it means there is growth. Remember this month alone two pro events left the country for good, the reason (they are no longer viable, is that they are shrinking the events to 500’s and 1000’s, so tennis is shrinking and dying).

2. DEVELOP POLICIES THAT REFLECT OUR CRITICAL PLACE IN GLOBAL TENNIS: Policies should create equal opportunities for players of all backgrounds, support the development of young talent, address financial barriers, maintain a robust infrastructure, and renew national pride in our tennis heritage while fostering international collaboration.

This is impossible to have as a goal when the salesman CEO prices the US Open at a level that well-to-do families don’t go to. Someone needs to remind the CEO that the USTA is the laughing stock in the world, every federation thinks, the Americans are so stupid, they have the most money, the most courts, and the most affordable prices of equipment and yet have nothing to compete with the eastern country’s players. Look at Davis Cup results, even the Olympics today. It is all in dire need of fixing, and the USTA’s CEO is concocting how to make bathrooms look better and how to get more money out of fewer sponsors and more money from people who do not play the sport. That guy should work for WWE.

3. IMPLEMENT SMARTER POLICIES: We need policies that provide protection, progress, and prosperity to all. This includes investing in community tennis programs, ensuring transparency in governance, and promoting ethical standards within the organization. When did such basic norms of governance become so foreign and impossible to achieve? The answer to that question is when the Ol’ boys forbid dissent and the executives are all yes people, who know that they are overpaid by a lot.

4. BUILD THE BEST TEAM: The USTA’s leadership should reflect the entire nation, with expertise across the tennis spectrum. This means including coaches, former players, and administrators from diverse backgrounds to bring a wealth of experience and perspectives. This does not mean DEI; people need to realize that meritocracy is extremely important and what the USTA needs is different points of view and different intelligence levels. They do the exact opposite. Listen to a critic of DEI and then compare that to what the USTA’s CEO chooses, to pay $2M to a few bureaucrats who never played tennis, instead of having coaches in less privileged areas. His decisions are simply mindless and dated.

5. EARN THE SUPPORT OF ALL TENNIS ENTHUSIASTS: Recognize that fans, players, and stakeholders are different and have good reasons to think differently. Do not attack, instead engage. The USTA must listen to and address the concerns of the tennis community, from grassroots enthusiasts to professional athletes. The CEO chose the tyrannical route, if you dare disagree with me, I will block you. If you dare make me uncomfortable, I will censor you. If you dare ask reasonable questions, he thinks it's better not to hear them. If you dare point out how dumb his decisions are, he figures if the critics disappear, we are all good. No sir, it is the exact opposite of what you think or do.

Conclusions

Like many of your families, my passion for tennis was ignited by playing for hours and hours daily and watching the greats who epitomized the American spirit on the global stage. I believe our sport is at a critical point in its history. We need to elect USTA leaders dedicated to the ideals that define and unite us and who are committed to restoring our indispensable role in the tennis world.

Remember these points were made by JP Morgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon. I just switched them to tennis and applied some facts to enlighten you.

As normal, some of you will be thrilled, others won’t bother reading, and others still will choose to believe the lies the USTA feeds them. In the end, it is no different from the state of our country, we need leadership that understands the world, fights for ideals that define us, and seeks the participation of all kids, not just those who can afford to play and quickly later quit (75% by age 13 and only a few events).

I say NO to ineptitude and YES to growing the game.

I can be reached at jpalenque@yahoo.com